Once Upon A Time Lord: Book One
by RetroWriter2012
Summary: Taking place prior to the events "Closing Time" for Doctor Who and after the events of "Desperate Souls" for Once Upon A Time , the Doctor takes a slight detour in his "Farewell Tour" when the TARDIS brings him to Storybrooke. Reviews are welcomed!
1. Prologue

**Prologue: The Arrival**

The Doctor had many places to go and many people to see before his imminent death on the shores of Lake Silencio, Utah. After a brief trip through the Ood Sphere, the Doctor was looking forward to seeing his old friend Craig Owens and then finally be reunited with the Ponds in Utah. Setting the TARDIS coordinates for Colchester, England for the year 2011, the Doctor was ready to say one last goodbye to Craig and then leave as soon as possible, not wanting to waste any valuable time that could be spent on visiting other places and times. Once the Doctor and the TARDIS arrived at the primary destination, the Doctor moved away from the controls and headed to the doors, immediately stepping out through them.

Of course, the location that the Doctor arrived in was not quite what he expected. Where he expected to be was outside Craig Owens's flat where he was just a year ago when he was Craig's lodger; instead, he found himself in a small American town (presumably in Maine). The TARDIS had emerged perfectly on a street corner, just the perfect, unsuspecting place for a police box – its exterior disguise – to be. He had arrived in this little town in the morning, judging from the clear sunny sky. The arrival left the Doctor scratching his head in great confusion; he could have sworn that the readout said Colchester, England on April 18th, 2011.

As the Doctor looked over the street corner that he emerged in, he spotted a place called "Granny's Diner" just across the street. This sounded like the perfect place to get answers, as strange as that sounded to the Doctor. After locking the door to the TARDIS, the Doctor dashed his away across the street and stepped inside of the diner, the bell just above the entrance ringing as he opened the door. Hardly anyone was inside of the diner with the notable exception of a ten-year-old boy who was having a bowl of cereal at the time.

"Welcome, stranger." The Doctor heard and saw the person behind the voice that had addressed him almost immediately; he swallowed hard when he realized it was an attractive teenage brunette wearing extremely provocative clothing. At first glance, the Doctor would not have suspected that she was a waitress. "Can I help you with anything?" She asked this question whilst standing _very_ close to the Doctor, almost looking as if she was trying to lip lock with him.

Nervously adjusting his bowtie, the Doctor stammered a response. "I…um…I'll take the, uh…I'll just have some tea, thank you."

The brunette, whose name was Ruby (according to her nametag), smiled at him as she turned away, her body brushing up against the Doctor's, making him even more nervous. While Ruby went to the counter to get the tea prepared, the Doctor realized that he needed to focus on his task, which was finding out where he was and how he got there. Apparently, the only person who could have provided the answers he was looking for was the little boy sitting to the left of the diner; he seemed to be the most intelligent person in the room…that and Ruby made the Doctor uncomfortable already.

The Doctor quickly moved to the booth that the boy was sitting in and sat right in front of him, wasting no time in speaking out his inquiries. "Alright, little boy, I'm going to ask you two questions. One of these questions will seem very strange to you, but I promise that I'm not a madman or a creepy stranger or anything like that. I'm just a very lost and very concerned gentleman."

Smiling, the boy remarked, "It's okay. This place is full of strange and creepy. Gimme your best shot."

The Doctor gave a confident nod. "Alright. First question: where I am?"

"You're in Storybrooke. A town full of generally nice people, except for Mr. Gold and my mother, the mayor."

"Right. Excellent. That's one question down and one more to go. Now then, second question: is the date April 18th, 2011?"

The Doctor's question did in fact puzzle the boy, but he managed to give a direct answer. Shaking his head, he answered, "No…the date is January 14th, 2012."

Moving his fingers through his long dark hair with a hint of frustration, the Doctor mumbled to himself, "Arrived eight months and three days after the time of your death. Brilliant."

"I'm sorry if it's not the answer you were looking for, sir." The boy sincerely said.

"Oh, no. It's not your fault." The Doctor clarified. "It's merely a fault in the dimensions of time and space, possibly some sort of rift. I should check in with Jack on that one."

"I think I know what you're talking about." The boy stated. "See, I've been trying to tell the people in this town that they're not really in Storybrooke. This is all part of a curse that the Evil Queen put on everyone. Everyone here used to be fairy tale characters, but they don't know it because of the curse."

Listening to the boy, the Doctor gazed upon him with a questioning look.

The boy, of course, had recognized that particular look and sighed in disappointment. "You don't believe me, do you?"

The Doctor quickly shook his head negatively. "No, no, no. I believe every word you've just told me. In fact, it could be the reason why I'm here. This…curse, as you've intelligently described it."

As the Doctor pondered over the boy's story, Ruby approached the booth with the tea that the Doctor ordered, setting it down gently in front of him. The Doctor tried not to let his eyes connect with hers, but they unfortunately did, leaving himself open to receive a seductive wink from the flirty waitress. After she walked away from the booth, the boy smiled and whispered to the Doctor, "She's Little Red Riding Hood."

"Of course she is," said a somewhat mesmerized Doctor, still staring over Ruby before refocusing on the boy. "And which fairy tale character are you, if I may ask?"

"I'm not any of them. I'm just Henry."

The Doctor smiled, extending his hand out to the boy. "Well, it's a pleasure meeting you, Henry." Henry accepted the Doctor's handshake. "You've been such a marvelous help to me that I'll try and help you with your problem."

"You will?" Henry excitedly exclaimed.

"Sure. Why not? There's nowhere else I have to be now…except for this nice lake in Utah, but that's in the past…for now."

The bell above the entrance dinged again as another customer entered; this one was a young blonde wearing a red leather jacket and a sheriff's badge clipped to her blue jeans. The blonde walked right up to the booth that the Doctor and Henry were sitting in and said to Henry, "Mornin', kid. Got any 'Operation Cobra' assignments for me today?"

"I might just have a _big_ one, thanks to my new friend here." Henry then gestured to the Doctor and introduced him to the blonde. "Emma, this is…uh…I'm sorry, sir, but I never got your name."

The Doctor stood up from the booth and extended his hand to Emma. "My friends call me 'The Doctor.'"

Emma was a bit lost on the name. "Doctor…what?"

"Just 'The Doctor.' I tend not to tell my actual name unless I really need to." He then spotted the badge clipped to Emma's waist and smiled. "Ah! A sheriff! Just the person we need to get to the bottom of Henry's little situation."

Emma slightly rolled her eyes with a grin. "Henry told you about the 'curse,' eh?"

"Indeed he did. And if there's anyone who knows about curses, it's me…The Doctor." Confidently, the Doctor took his cup of tea and took a large gulp of it. However, he quickly spat the liquid back into the cup, much to the surprise and disgust of Emma and Henry. The Doctor then picked a three-inch strip of paper out from his mouth, which he soon realized was a phone number left in the tea. It did not take long for him to deduce that the number came from no other than Ruby, who he glanced over at the counter just as she smiled and waved at him. Nervously smiling back to her, the Doctor afterwards turned to Henry and Emma and whispered, "Let's get out of here, before she asks to meet me at _my_ place."


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One: Change of Plans**

"There's just something that I have to get out of the TAR…police box, before we get on with our investigation." The Doctor told Henry and Emma upon walking out of Granny's dinner.

Emma and Henry quickly took notice of the particular police box across the street, which the Doctor ran to. While the Doctor went inside it, Emma pointed to the police box and questioned to Henry, "Has there always been one of those in Storybrooke?"

Henry shook his head. "Not that I remember." As he watched his new friend, "The Doctor," walk into the police box, he quickly saw what was inside of it. From what Henry could make out, it certainly was not as wooden on the inside as it was supposed to have been; in fact, it looked _bigger_ on the inside. Rapidly turning to Emma, he shouted in exhilaration, "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Emma said with a raised eyebrow.

Just when she thought there was an answer coming, Henry bolted away from her and went to the police box. He was just about to open the door until…

"Henry!"

He looked to his right to see his adoptive mother, the mayor of Storybrooke, walking up to him and the box, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. Needless to say, his mother did not look very happy as she approached him. "That is the _last_ time you leave the house without telling me. Do you understand?"

Emma did not enjoy seeing Mayor Mills yelling at Henry, which was why she often did what she had done that very moment. "It's my fault," she told the mayor, stepping into the exchange. "Henry wanted some breakfast, so I picked him up to take him to the diner."

Regina was not buying the story. "Henry can get breakfast at home, just like he _always_ does, Miss Swan."

"I wanted cereal, but we were out of milk." Henry defended his case.

"Then I'll make sure to get some, if it keeps you at home where you belong." Regina snapped in anger.

Before the conversation could have gotten any more heated, the door to the police box opened again and the Doctor stepped right out, wielding around a strange device in his right hand. With a triumphant smile, he said, "Got it! Now we can be off!"

Regina was so angry with Henry that she never even bothered taking notice of the police box that was on the street corner; she only did when the Doctor had exited it to her immediate surprise. "Who the hell are you? And where did _this_ come from?"

"Judging from your tone, I have to assume you're the mayor."

Regina nodded. "Yes, I am. That still doesn't explain who _you_ are."

"Of course." The Doctor extended his hand out to Regina, nervously smiling. "I'm the Doctor."

"Storybrooke already has a doctor. A very fine one, in fact. His name is Dr. Whale." Regina deflected.

Her response only made the Doctor chuckle. "Oh, no, no. I'm not…uh…I suppose it's a little hard to explain, but I'm _not_ here to take anyone's job, I assure you."

"Good."

That was all Regina had said to the Doctor before she took Henry by the hand and started leading him away from the Doctor and Emma. Watching them leave, the Doctor hurriedly told the mayor, "Oh, wait. We're supposed to be handling an investigation."

Regina stopped and looked back to him with an odd expression. "What kind of investigation?"

The Doctor was about to give the "honest answer" to Regina before Emma stepped in and gave the _real_ right answer. "We're just investigating some missing mail." The Doctor gazed upon her strangely. "Yeah, apparently someone is stealing everyone's mail, and we're looking for clues."

It was very quiet amongst the group after Emma gave the fabricated answer for the mayor. After some time, Regina finally said, "Well, I certainly hope you catch the perpetrator, _Sheriff_." That last word oozed with maliciousness to Emma, but she did not say a word about it. _Not in front of Henry_, she thought.

Regina and Henry continued down the sidewalk, but they were again stopped once Henry turned away from his adopted mother's side and approached the Doctor again. He took off his backpack and reached in, taking out a thick, old book and handing it over to the Doctor. In doing so, he whispered to the Doctor, "Take this. You're going to need it to find out how you got here and help break the curse."

The Doctor took the book with a heavy sense of uncertainty before watching Henry leave with Regina. As soon as they were halfway down the street, the Doctor then glanced into the book, noting the pages and pages filled with various fairytales, all seeming to be combined into one whole story. He read through several pages in a matter of seconds, which greatly surprised Emma when she watched him hand the book over to her and say, "Interesting storybook. I always love a good non-fiction every now and then."

"Non-fiction?" Emma said with a giggle.

"Yes, non-fiction. As in not make-believe, the real deal, it _actually_ happened…_that_ type of non-fiction."

Emma shook her head with a grin. "Trust me, Doctor. I believe Henry enough to know that most of what goes on in this book is a simple coincidence to what _really_ goes on in this town. It's actually helped me quite a bit."

"Then you trust his judgment enough to see that this town is indeed not real…that everyone here is in fact real fairytale characters involved in a _massive_ curse." The Doctor emphasized the word "massive" by briefly raising his arms above his head.

"Well, I…"

"Where do you live?"

The question was spoken so rapidly and unexpectedly that it completely caught Emma off guard. "I…beg your pardon?"

"You're not from here, so I have to guess there's a place of residence that you spend your time while watching over the people here."

The Doctor had figured her out already, and Emma had yet to figure out him. _Who was this guy? What business did he have to ask __me__ where I live?_ These were questions that she did not have the heart to ask out loud because this was someone who Henry clearly trusted enough to give his book to. Plus, she did not want to end up sounding like Regina whenever she was with Henry, telling the Doctor to keep away from her and him.

"I live with the town's schoolteacher, Mary Margaret," she finally told him.

"Could Mary Margaret help us in this investigation?" The Doctor inquired.

Emma was a little unsure of whether to give an honest "yes" or "no" for that question, so she simply stated, "Maybe. She's been pretty helpful with me, letting me stay with here and all."

"Brilliant." The Doctor said. "Because we are going to need someone who knows this town like the back of their hand, maybe even the front of their hand, or the whole arm if they choose."

Emma laughed. It was clear this stranger, whoever he was, did not seem to be all there; but who was in this crazy town known as Storybrooke? "Alright. I'll take you to her, but I can't promise she'll take you too seriously."

"I'd actually prefer people _not_ taking me too seriously." The Doctor said, smiling.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Doctor and Teacher**

With no school and Emma away on her new job as sheriff of Storybrooke, Mary Margaret thought it would be an acceptable idea to whip herself up a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon and kick back on the couch with a good book. Within a short time, she had the hot chocolate and the book; all she needed was the couch in the living room. Of course, just as Mary Margaret was about to sit down on the couch, there was a knock at the door.

Sighing with agitation, Mary Margaret set her hot chocolate and book down on the table near the couch and went to the door. She opened it to find Emma standing in the hall outside with a man who was waving around an odd-looking device with a green lit tip. Surprised to see her roommate (and the new sheriff) back in the apartment, Mary Margaret asked, "Emma, what brings you back? I figured you'd be at the office or with Henry."

"Well, I _did_ see Henry until you-know-who showed up."

Mary Margaret nodded in understanding, knowing exactly whom Emma was referring to. "I see." She then focused on the man accompanying Emma and inquired, "Who's your new friend?"

As if on cue when he heard himself being referenced, the Doctor went right up to Mary Margaret and gently shook her hand. "I'm the Doctor. You must be Snow White. It's a pleasure, Miss White…I should I call you 'Snow'…whichever you prefer."

Completely lost on his greeting, Mary Margaret blankly looked to Emma, who simply smiled as she provided a brief explanation for her. "He's talked to Henry." That was all it took for Mary Margaret to make sense of the Doctor's odd salutation.

Realizing his mistake, the Doctor corrected himself. "Sorry. I forget that you're all cursed, meaning you go by a name different than 'Snow White.' Mary Margaret, I presume." Again, the Doctor extended his hand out to Mary Margaret, and she shook it hesitantly.

"Yes…Doctor…?"

"Just 'The Doctor' is fine." He then walked into Mary Margaret's apartment, again scanning the area with his device. "Miss Swan tells me that you're willing to offer some assistance."

Mary Margaret looked once more to Emma for clarification.

"We're 'investigating' the 'curse'." Emma used air quotes to emphasize the words "investigating" and "curse" to Mary Margaret, who nearly burst with laughter.

The Doctor soon stopped scanning the room and placed his device back into his coat pocket, approaching Emma and Mary Margaret. "Where's the one area of this town that's seen the most activity?"

"W-What kind of activity?" Mary Margaret queried.

"Seismic, to be precise." The Doctor answered. "My Sonic Screwdriver is detecting shifts in the construct of this building, which can only mean that there was recently a tremor or an earthquake – _very big_ earthquake."

Emma and Mary Margaret briefly exchanged an intrigued glance. The Doctor, who had never stepped foot in Storybrooke until that very day, was starting to know as much about the town as they did. He seemed to have gotten some of his information from that device of his, which Emma and Mary Margaret hardly got much of an eyeful of.

In response to the Doctor's deduction, Mary Margaret confirmed for him, "Yes…there was recently a situation with a sinkhole near town. Henry went inside the old mine there a couple of months ago. He thought that the sinkhole might've been tied to the curse."

The Doctor focused heavily on Mary Margaret after she gave this bit of info.

"Take me to this sinkhole." He requested.

* * *

><p>The Doctor received a massive amount of readings off his Sonic Screwdriver upon scanning the sinkhole area from the edges to where the entrance to the mineshaft was prior to its collapse from the events that Mary Margaret depicted. The area had been closed off from the townspeople, but Emma figured her new authority as sheriff would allow her, Mary Margaret, and the Doctor to be there. The Doctor certainly did take his time in scanning every inch of the sinkhole as morning soon turned into afternoon, which then turned into dusk. The entire time he was there in the sinkhole, Emma and Mary Margaret stood by Emma's squad car and had a quiet discussion about the mysterious visitor known as just "The Doctor."<p>

"What's his _real_ name?" Mary Margaret wondered aloud.

"The hell if I know." Emma remarked. "Henry is the first person to have talked to him. Maybe he knows more about him than we do."

"He's definitely very strange from someone who comes from England."

"How can we know he actually _comes_ from there?"

Emma's question inspired some serious apprehension within Mary Margaret, who was already uncomfortable over the Doctor's presence as it was. She glanced over to him with a deep frown as he concluded his prolonged scanning session and plucked something off of the ground. The Doctor analyzed the item for a brief moment, even scanning it a little with his Sonic Screwdriver, and then pocketed it.

The Doctor returned to the two women, seeming to be incredibly satisfied with his findings. "Well, I believe I've gathered enough to do some brilliant research for the evening. I should get back into my TAR…phone box in town."

Mary Margaret raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Phone box?"

Emma grinned. "Another mystery behind our new 'friend.'" The mystery suddenly reminded Emma to ask the Doctor a vital question. "Hey, Doc. Are you gonna be stayin' in Storybrooke? 'Cause, if you are, Granny's Bed & Breakfast is a great spot for you."

Pondering on the name of the inn, the Doctor said, "Granny…Granny…As in Little Red Riding Hood's Granny?"

Emma nodded with uncertainty. "Uh, yeah…I guess."

"And, in this world, Little Red Riding Hood is Ruby…meaning Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood…" Recalling this detail, courtesy of Henry, as well as his unsettling encounter with Ruby earlier that morning, the Doctor came to a practical choice: "The police box will suffice for me. Thanks."


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: The Doctor's Secret**

Knowing full well that it would anger Regina, Henry snuck out of the house after dark to see the Doctor again. Ever since the Doctor arrived in Storybrooke, Henry had found someone to put more faith into for his mission to break the dreaded curse over the Storybrooke townspeople and restore them to their fairy tale personas. Even though he had plenty of faith in Emma, his own mother, there was only enough she could have done with Regina always looking over her shoulder. There was something more special about the Doctor, and Henry was tempted that night to find out more for the benefit of seeing the extent of the stranger's abilities.

As soon as Henry arrived in town, the first place he went was the police box that he saw the Doctor go into earlier that morning. It was still where it was the last time he saw it – on the street corner across from Granny's Diner. The light emitting from the inside and outside of the police box irradiated the street corner more than the streetlights and other areas on that part of town. It was almost welcoming to Henry to see the police box that way, which was why he had no trouble walking right up to it and knocking on the door.

The right door swung open at the instant Henry knocked, and the Doctor stuck his head out; he smiled as soon as he saw the boy. "Ah! Henry! What brings you here this fine evening?"

"I wanted to see how everything's going with the investigation."

"Ah, yes. The investigation." The Doctor seemed a little tentative with his answer. "Well, I did in fact make an interesting discovery at the site of this sinkhole Sheriff Swan and Miss Mary Margaret showed me today." He then removed his "discovery" from his coat pocket and showed it to Henry. "The funny thing is that I just cannot make a clue of what it is or used to be. My equipment just isn't picking up on its origin."

Henry closely gazed upon the item in the Doctor's hand; he had seen it before when his adoptive mother picked up another just like it at the sinkhole site. It was a piece of decorative glass; something that could have been part of some sort of ceremonial adornment. "I've seen that before," Henry told the Doctor. "My mom – my adopted mom – picked up another piece at the same place."

"Does she still have it?" The Doctor asked, sounding a bit anxious.

Henry shook his head disappointedly. "No. I think she got rid of it right before she closed off the sinkhole area."

Feeling dejected himself, the Doctor sighed while glancing over the piece of glass in his hands. "If only we could find more pieces like this, the TARDIS could figure out where it came from."

"The what?" Henry was stuck on that one strange word that came out of the Doctor's mouth: "TARDIS."

The Doctor, of course, acted as if he did not notice the boy's confusion and quickly changed the subject. "Shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"It's seven o'clock."

The Doctor glanced at his wristwatch and realized that Henry was correct. "Dear me. Time seems to be getting past me by the second."

"You didn't answer my question."

Refocusing on Henry, the Doctor asked, "What question would that be?"

"What's a TARDIS?"

As much as he wanted to continue the charade of not knowing what Henry was talking about, the Doctor was forced into acknowledging his own blunder, uttering the true name of the so-called "police box" that he currently was standing in front of with Henry. "Alright! Come on in!"

At first, Henry was puzzled over what the Doctor had given him permission to do until he finally stepped into the police box with him. What Henry saw next astounded him: an interior room that was ten times bigger than the police box outside. It was totally alien in design with a variety of equipment that he would not have the slightest idea how to operate, even if he were told how. Upon seeing this bizarre room, Henry started to realize exactly _what_ the Doctor _really_ was.

"You're an alien?" He shouted in surprise.

The Doctor shushed him while closing the door to conceal the unusually large interior of the "police box" from anyone who passed it by outside. As soon as he and Henry got their privacy, the Doctor established Henry's suspicions. "Yes, Henry, I _am_ an alien. A Time Lord, to be exact."

"Time Lord?" Henry grinned on the name. "That is such a cool alien name! Are there more like you out there?"

The Doctor scowled. "No…No, Henry, I'm the last one of my kind."

Seeing that expression on his face as he answered, Henry guessed that it was a sensitive subject for the Doctor to talk about; so, in the Doctor's fashion, he quickly changed the subject to something more uplifting. "So are you really a doctor or is that just a nickname?"

"I like to think of it as a title, honestly." The Doctor was more openhearted with this answer. "I've been known as 'The Doctor' for many years…_hundreds_ of years."

Henry seemed more and more intrigued with each bit of information he received about his new friend. "How old are you?"

"Eleven hundred and three, the last time I checked. Maybe older. I can never really keep up these days." That scowled look returned as he added, "But it won't really matter now."

"Why's that?" Henry curiously queried.

The Doctor was quiet for a long moment, simply staring upon Henry with eyes that were clearly filled with overwhelming sorrow. He then moved over to the hexagonal console at the center of the room where he commenced in flipping and pressing various switches and buttons. As he had done so, he finally addressed Henry once more, except he did not answer the question the boy had asked. Instead, he uttered, "Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Huh?"

"It's what 'TARDIS' stands for, in case you're wondering, which _many_ people I bring into the TARDIS do."

Henry nodded understandingly, but he still remained confused on what the Doctor meant by his previous statement. Rather than ask again, he decided to take a guess, using his skills in observation to try and figure the Doctor out. "You're running from something…aren't you?"

The Doctor looked up from his console and towards Henry; their eyes connected for a long, awkward time before he returned his focus back on the console. "Not running from, Henry…merely preparing," he told the boy.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can help."

The Doctor chuckled. "You couldn't possibly help me with _this_ problem, Henry. It's one that even I can't figure out. It's a fixed point in time, which means that I can't do anything to stop it, even with this magnificent time machine of mine."

It was then that Henry finally figured out the Doctor's problem.

"You're going to die."

His impressive deduction led the Doctor's focus away from the console again and back on him, his scowl seeming to have become more intense than before.

"That's it. Isn't it?" Henry asked.

"Yes." The Doctor immediately confirmed. "By this date, I'm already well dead."

Henry felt down; he wished that he did not figure out the Doctor's secret now that he knew how bad it was. Despite this, Henry found himself curious enough to ask, "How does it happen?"

The Doctor managed to pull off an amused (albeit depressed) grin. "I'll _show_ you."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: A Fixed Point in Time**

The Doctor situated the TARDIS just on the surface of the lake, a mile away from where the scene was taking place along the shore. The TARDIS was kept invisible to avoid attention from his future self, Amy and Rory, River, or even the "Astronaut" that had risen from the lake to come and do the job; although the Doctor could imagine many other invisible TARDISes in the area, doing the same thing that he and Henry were doing: **viewing his own death**. Even though it was technically not breaking the rules of the Time Lords, the Doctor knew he should not have come to that time to witness his own murder; however, it was something that he had to see in order to try and understand why. He could imagine a massive (invisible) audience of other Doctors watching the exact same scene, trying to do the same.

Henry watched every moment of the death via the view screen above the TARDIS control console, from the time in which the mysterious astronaut rose from the lake waters to the point where the astronaut fired on the future Doctor. At first the shot only activated what the Doctor described to Henry as "regeneration," when Henry saw some sort of bio-energy escape the future Doctor's body only seconds before being shot again, killing him on the spot. After the future Doctor had been killed, the mysterious astronaut retreated back into the lake. River attempted to stop the astronaut by shooting at it, but none of her shots connected with the mysterious being.

As the moment arrived when Amy and Rory were shouting and crying over the fallen body of the future Doctor, the Doctor (the one in the TARDIS with Henry) shut off the view screen, choosing not to see any more of the event to come. Henry looked to him after watching the scene and could see the genuine depression in his face. "I'm sorry" was all Henry could have told him.

The Doctor tried to seem as if he could care less, waving off Henry's apology with a weak smile. "Yeah, well…these things happen, right?"

"But you can avoid them from happening." Henry said. "You can just start again and stop it from…"

"Time can be rewritten. I know, Henry." The Doctor interjected. "But I just…I just can't." He looked very defeated in the eyes of Henry; someone he believed to be so powerful that he could stop the curse that had fallen over the people of Storybrooke.

Henry gave up trying to convince the Doctor otherwise while his friend focused on the console, commencing in departing from Utah of April 22nd, 2011. As soon as Henry felt the alien time machine take off, he knew there was no way of going back and trying to stop what he had seen happen (or will happen) to the Doctor. As they traveled through the time vortex to return to Storybrooke on January 14th, 2012, Henry recalled seeing the two people that were mourning over the future Doctor before the Doctor shut off the view screen. "Who were they?" he asked without specification.

"Who are who?" The Doctor returned with a question of his own.

"Those people you were with. They were your friends?"

The Doctor smiled. "More than friends…Two of them are my trustworthy companions…One of them will be my wife one day."

Henry's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really? Is it the redhead?"

"No, no. Of course not. She'll be my mother-in-law."

Henry felt like his head was going to do a 360 with this news; he only met the Doctor for a day, and he was already enthralled with the type of life he lived – or will have lived. He had more questions to ask the Doctor, but he just as he began his next one…

_VWOORMP!_

_BOOM!_

An enormous tremor came over the TARDIS, nearly knocking the Doctor and Henry off of their feet. Panicked, Henry asked him, "What happened?"

The Doctor rushed all about the hexagonal console, flipping switches and pressing buttons with more vigor than before. "Relax, Henry! Everything will be fine! We've probably just ran into a speed bump!"

"A speed bump?"

"Well, not literally a speed bump, but a…"

_VWOORMP! BOOM!_

Again, the TARDIS shook, only more violently than the last time.

Henry became more worried with each passing moment of the sudden chaos. "Seriously, _what_ is happening, Doctor?"

The Doctor honestly did not have a direct answer for Henry, because he did not know what was happening himself. No matter how much he tried to get the TARDIS back on course, it seemed that the extreme turbulence would continue. To make matters more complicated, there was a bright flash shining from the corner of his right eye, distracting him from his piloting of the TARDIS. Only when the flash started getting bigger and brighter did the Doctor turn to see where in the room it was reflecting from did he realize that it was a form of light that was engulfing the entire console room.

"Doctor, what's that light coming from?"

When Henry noticed the light as well, the Doctor was convinced that he was not seeing things. He did not have much time to deduce what it was or where it was coming from as it grew to the point that everything in the room was totally white, but he hoped that it was not another result of a crack in the universe.

* * *

><p>Archie was giving his pet Dalmatian, Pongo, his usual evening walk through town when he heard strange noises upon crossing Granny's Diner. Stopping himself and Pongo just in front of the diner, Archie looked around curiously; at first he thought that there was a storm on the approach, which prompted him to open the umbrella that he was usually seen with (even on days where he did not require one). After a while, when there were no drops of rain falling from the sky, Archie closed up his umbrella again; yet he continued to hear the strange noises that oddly resembled thunderclaps.<p>

It was then that he suddenly spotted something materializing just across the street. From what Archie could make of it, it appeared to be some sort of police box, showing up right on the street corner across from Granny's Diner. Once the police box had completely materialized there, Archie curiously and cautiously walked up to it, never before seeing something so strange. With Pongo still at his side, Archie approached the doors to the police box and attempted to open one of them; just as he was about to, the door had opened on its own by someone who was actually in the box.

That someone turned out to be Henry, who looked terrified, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Henry!" Archie exclaimed in shock. "What's going on? What is this thing?"

"He's gone!" Henry cried. "He's gone!"

Great concern went through Archie as he knelt down to be at eye level with Henry, doing his best to calm the terrified boy. "Henry, Henry, calm down. What happened? Who's gone?"

Henry swallowed hard before answering Archie in a calmer tone. "The Doctor…he's gone."


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: Doctor No More**

Archie did not say much to Henry even after bringing him to his home and giving him a glass of milk to drink while waiting for both his birth mother and his foster mother to arrive. He wanted to call both Emma and Regina upon realizing how dire Henry's situation was with his constant ramblings of this "Doctor" character. It was one thing for Henry to confuse reality with fiction, believing everyone in Storybrooke to be once fairy tale characters; but it was another entirely to make up an entirely new character like "The Doctor."

After nearly half an hour, Archie finally heard two cars pull up in front of his house; he went outside, leaving Henry alone in his office, and met with Regina and Emma. At the moment Archie stepped out, Regina and Emma were already at each other's throats over Henry.

"What nonsense have you gotten him involved in _now_, Miss Swan?"

"Me? I wasn't even anywhere near him!"

"Oh, right, of course. You've simply been out on duty, _playing_ sheriff."

"Where do you come off…?"

Archie could not take much more of their bickering, which prompted him to shout out in frustration, "Ladies, please! Henry's inside! I don't think your arguing will be good for him right now!"

Seeing how right Archie was, Regina and Emma both quickly settled down, even though the tension between was still evident in their façades. "You're right, Archie," said Emma. "Where is he? Can we see him?"

"Of course we can see him. He's _my_ son."

Regina brisk past Archie to get inside his home; as soon as she was in, she repeatedly called out to Henry, anger clearly detectable in her voice. She finally found him in Archie's office with the glass of milk. At first she was very relieved, calmly asking Henry, "Are you alright?"

Henry turned to her and nodded slowly. "I'm fine."

Once she got this confirmation from him, Regina rapidly went into her usual stern demeanor. "What did I tell you about leaving the house this time of night? Henry, I am trying hard to…"

"One problem at a time, Mayor." She unexpectedly heard Emma tell her as Henry's birth mother walk into the room with Archie and immediately addressed her son. "Henry, what happened?"

"The Doctor's gone." Henry answered right away. "He took me away into his TARDIS and showed me the day that he died or was going to die. Then he tried to bring me back here until we ran into some trouble and he…he disappeared!"

Listening to Henry's story greatly upset Regina to the point where she turned to Archie and said in sarcasm, "Clearly your sessions have improved my son. Not only has he stopped talking fantasy, he's now gotten into science fiction."

"This isn't science fiction. This is real." Henry defensively stated. "You saw the Doctor and his TARDIS this morning. Don't you remember?" He saw the confusion on his foster mother's face and added, "Across from Granny's Diner? The police box on the street corner?"

"Henry, the only place I was this morning was with you, bailing you out of trouble from those two runaway children that tried to sneak items out of Mr. Clark's store in your backpack." Regina informed.

"Yeah, for once I can vouch for her, Henry." Emma acknowledged. "I was there."

Henry looked back and forth between his two mothers, looking very perplexed; he obviously could not recall these events they had mentioned. What surprised him even more was how neither of his mothers could remember ever meeting the Doctor that day. "I don't remember doing any of that today."

His confusion concerned Emma. "You don't remember meeting Ava and Nicholas? You told me that you found out they were Hansel and Gretel. I was able to get them back to their father earlier tonight. Isn't that great?"

Henry did his best to remember these events, but they were coming like a haze to him. _Is this all the curse trying to make me forget about the Doctor_, he subconsciously asked himself.

"Henry, if this is another one of your attempts to get Miss Swan to see you…" Regina began.

"The police box!" Henry exclaimed with excitement. "It's still on the corner!" He then took Emma by the hand and rushed her out of the room. "C'mon! I'll show you, and then you'll remember seeing the Doctor!"

Emma gave Archie a look, as if asking for what to do; he simply nodded for her to go on with Henry, and she allowed herself to be whisked away by her excitable son. In reaction to this, Regina furiously asked Archie, "Is all of this _really_ necessary?"

"If these _are_ new delusions that he's having, then it's best for us to support them just like the old ones." Archie suggested, much to the chagrin of Regina, who followed Emma and Henry out of the house with Archie.

* * *

><p>The group arrived upon the street corner where the police box in question still remained to Henry's delight. Henry could barely contain himself long enough to wait for Emma to stop her police car all the way before he jumped out and ran to the police box. As soon as Emma, Archie, and Regina were out of their vehicles, they approached the police box with Henry, who was almost reaching a point of hysteria that they hardly ever seen in him. It was clear how surprised Emma, Archie, and Regina were from the very sight of the police box, which they had never once seen before in Storybrooke.<p>

"It's still here!" Henry happily shouted. "_Now_ do you remember?"

Emma pointed to the police box and asked, "Is this one of Mr. Gold's?"

Archie adjusted his glasses, looking up and down over the police box. "I don't suppose so."

Henry groaned when he saw that their confusion still remained, despite witnessing the true existence of the police box from his story. "How can none of you remember this? Archie, you _saw_ me walk out of it!"

"I do remember you walking out of it, Henry," confirmed Archie, "but I don't remember seeing where it had come from."

Closely looking over the three adults in front of him, Henry started to make sense of the strange transition. "You all don't remember because of the curse." This statement was met with the moans and eye-rolling of his foster mother. "It makes sense now. The curse knew the Doctor was going to help me break it, so it rewrote time and made it seem like he never existed!"

"Henry, enough of this." Regina demanded. "We are going home _now_."

Regina walked up to her son and attempted to take him by the hand; however, Henry swiftly stepped away from her and went to open the doors to the police box. "I'll _show_ you how sure I am about this…because this _isn't_ a police box…it's the Doctor's spaceship. He calls it the…"

Henry stopped cold as soon as he opened the police box's doors and discovered that its massive alien interior was no longer there; instead, there were just three walls that matched with its exterior, just like a _normal_ police box would. He walked into the police box, touching the walls and feeling how real they were. The TARDIS console room was no more, just like the Doctor.

Emma had moved from concerned to practically scared for Henry. After sharing a questioning glance with Archie, she slowly walked over to Henry as he stepped out of the average police box in disappointment, tears once again streaming from his eyes. "Henry…"

Before Emma could say anymore, a passing gentleman stopped near them and said, "'ello, everyone. Is there a problem?"

_That voice_, Henry thought. _Is that…?_

Looking up, Henry was delighted to see that the passing gentleman was none other than the Doctor, albeit dressed much differently than he was just moments ago. Dressed in a red t-shirt and blue jeans with a black leather jacket and white tennis shoes, the Doctor looked like a typical civilian. Whether or not it was some sort of covert thing, Henry could not determine; all that mattered was the Doctor was there in the flesh again.

"Doctor!" Henry cried before running up and giving him a huge hug.

The gentleman chuckled. "Whoa. Easy there, Henry. Since when have you started calling me a doctor?"

This question stunned Henry as he let go of the gentleman he believed to be the Doctor and gazed closely at him. Yes, he _looked_ like the Doctor and even _sounded_ like the Doctor; but the expression on his face told Henry that this was _not_ the Doctor.

"Who are you?" Henry inquired.

Again, the gentleman chuckled. "Henry, you should know. I'm Mr. Smith…John Smith…from Storybrooke Elementary. I'm, or I should say I _will be_, your sixth grade teacher." He playfully rubbed Henry's hair before adding, "I'll see you this Monday at school. Tell Mary Margaret…I mean, Miss Blanchard that I said 'ello." As John Smith walked past Emma, Regina, and Archie, who all waved hello to the schoolteacher, Smith quickly noticed the police box on the street corner and smiled over it. "Don't see one of those that much these days…not even here in America."

Not giving the police box another passing thought, John Smith continued his way down the sidewalk, whistling as he had done so. Henry watched this man walk away with a variety of emotions running through him. The ten-year-old had been in Storybrooke long enough to know all of the residents, and this man – who carried the face of the Doctor – was _definitely_ not one of them. Meeting him only proved how correct Henry was in his suspicion: **the curse **_**did**_** get to the Doctor**.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: The Other Side**

Everything was hazy to the Doctor as he regained consciousness after the unexpected turn of events that had occurred inside the TARDIS moments earlier. He expected himself to still be inside the blue box when he finally woke up; however, as his vision started to get clearer, he could see that was not the case. Instead of being inside the TARDIS, he was lying on the ground in the middle of a forest with a young woman wearing a red hood. Once his eyes ultimately came into focus, he saw the young woman was Ruby, the flirty waitress from Granny's Diner…only she was not dressed as provocatively as he last saw her…in fact, she was dressed exactly as her storybook persona, Red Riding Hood.

Her approach towards him was even vastly different than before, appearing less flirty and gentler. "Are you all right, stranger?"

The Doctor was taken aback from the young woman, who seemed more appealing in this form than her cursed one. "Yes…Yes, I'm fine." He sat up, not once taking his eyes off of hers. "And you?"

Red chuckled. "I'm certainly fine, stranger. It's you I'm worried about. You took a pretty nasty fall a mere second ago when you fell from the sky. Are you some sort of wizard?"

The Doctor was finally able to look away from the enchanting Red and up towards the blue sky, seeming a little perplexed. It was clear, judging from Red's depiction of his arrival, that he did not come there in the TARDIS. This worried him, considering how the TARDIS was his only way around the universe; and he was not certain _what_ universe he was in that moment.

"Is this still Storybrooke?" The Doctor asked her.

Red raised a confused eyebrow. "Storybrooke? No. This is the land of Happily Ever After."

"Happily Ever…" The Doctor repeated, processing the name of the land. "Right. Fairy Tale Land…got it." He then got to his feet very quickly and reached into his coat pocket, retrieving his sonic screwdriver to scan the forest he landed in. "I'd better keep a record of this place for future analysis…that is, _if_ I'll ever be able to salvage my TARDIS in time."

Listening to the Doctor, Red was puzzled by his speech. "You speak strangely, sir. Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey." The Doctor instinctively answered, although he quickly realized how Red would seem even more confused. Looking back at her, he attempted to explain himself. "Er…that is, the land of Gallifrey is…"

Red smiled and raised her hands to stop the Doctor. "I get it. Gallifrey is a land that exists above the clouds. I used to hear stories of such a land, but I never knew of the name. Gallifrey…such a beautiful name."

The Doctor was impressed from the fantasy aspect of Red's interpretation of Gallifrey, which – even to him – made quite a bit of sense. "Yes…just like _Jack and the Beanstalk_."

"Jack and the what?" Red remarked in a quizzical tone.

"Oh…I see." The Doctor uttered, nodding. "Jack hasn't quite climbed up that beanstalk yet. Well, he soon will…and he'll have one hell of a story to tell of the land of…Gallifrey." He hesitated on that last word due to the fact that he was changing the story around at that point, combining Time Lord history with folk tale. "Well, I'll be off now. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Hood."

The Doctor was just on his way off, until Red called him back with a question. "How did you know my name?"

He felt like slapping his forehead in punishment of his mistake. "Stupid Doctor, of course you know her name…but _she_ doesn't know you know her name," he whispered to himself, before turning to Red and saying enthusiastically, "Gallifreyan mind-reading! I knew who you were the moment I looked into your eyes!" Of course, this was a half-truth from him. Gallifreyans _were_ capable of telepathy, but only with each other.

Red could not tell the difference, which was why she was so fascinated with this fact about the Doctor. "You are truly a wonder, sir. Where are you going now? If it's alright with you, I'd like to come…as a companion?"

Her request brought an amused smile on the Doctor's face. _Little Red Riding Hood: Companion to the Doctor_…it had a nice ring to it. It also made quite a bit of sense to him, since Red knew more about the land than he would have.

"Of course." The Doctor acknowledged, still smiling.

Red giggled, clearly excited of this opportunity. She gathered her basket full of food, which she carried for her journey through the forest, and rushed up alongside the Doctor, wrapping her arm around his. "Oh, by the way, what's your name?"

"The Doctor."

"Doctor?" Red smiled and said. "Your name is as lovely as the land you come from, Doctor."

It had to be the most flattering comment that he ever received – or at least one of them. Normally when he told someone his name, it would follow with the question he had been running from his entire life: "Doctor Who?" But Red immediately accepted this name, already fascinated with the Doctor and where he came from. It made enough sense to the Doctor, mainly due to the fact that in this strange world, most of everyone's names were merely their professions.

_I believe I'll fit in nicely here_, the Doctor joyously thought while traveling with his new companion.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: The Next Entry**

John Smith sat casually in the booth near the windows of Granny's Diner, drinking his morning cup of tea and reading an interesting book by Verity Newman titled "A Journal of Impossible Things." It was a book that Smith decided to use as a focus for his class, encouraging his students to do a report of it. With each chapter that he and his class studied through, he found himself highly engrossed in this life Verity Newman's great-grandmother, Joan Redfern, had lived in the early 20th century. There were images in the book that added to the wonder of Redfern's depiction of her fascinating encounter with this "strange visitor from beyond the stars," including one that vaguely resembled the police box across the street.

Whilst coming up on the part of the book that detailed Joan and the visitor's romantic connections, Smith checked his wristwatch to see what time it was to avoid being late for school. According to his watch, it was 7:15am. _Plenty of time to enjoy just a couple of more pages_, Smith happily thought before returning to the book. Just as he had done so, he heard the bell above the diner entrance ring and looked up briefly to see Mary Margaret enter and anxiously sit down in the table nearest the door.

Not taking his focus away from his book too much, Smith curiously glanced from the corner of his eye to see what Mary Margaret was doing in Granny's Diner as early as he was. She took a book out from her bag and set it in front of her. _Okay, nothing wrong with a little reading before school; it's why I'm here_. Mary Margaret then picked up the spoon from the table and checked her reflection, straightening out her hair after removing her hat. _Alright, something is __definitely__ up if she's checking her hair!_

Smith tried not to look her way too much to avoid gaining her attention; she did not even know he was sitting a few feet from her, which was good enough for him. He noticed Mary Margaret sitting quietly for a short moment, glimpsing at the clock that hung above the counter to check the time, which was still 7:15am. Suddenly, the bell rang again, prompting her to pick up the book she brought in and pretend to read it. It was then when Smith realized why she was there so early: **David Nolan was there**. Smith knew that every morning at 7:15am David would come to the diner to pick up coffee for his wife and himself…and it seemed Mary Margaret knew as well.

Even Ruby had become familiar with this routine of David's, handing him two cups of different coffees without waiting him to ask. David paid for the cups and was ready to leave with them until he saw Mary Margaret sitting near him. The two of them had a brief exchange, which Smith found to be a little awkward, before David finally left the diner to meet with his wife outside in the car parked at the curb. Mary Margaret watched him leave to meet up with his wife, and the bright smile she had while talking with him slowly dissipated into a heavy frown. Smith knew a broken heart when he saw one, and Mary Margaret was indeed heartbroken.

"This is making a volcano?"

Smith (and Mary Margaret) heard the voice of Emma Swan come out of nowhere and turned to see her emerging from the back of the diner, walking up to Mary Margaret's table. Mary Margaret was evidently shocked to see her there and could barely say a word as Emma sat down in front of her. "I was…"

"I get it." Emma quickly told her.

Mary Margaret sighed. "He comes here every morning at 7:15am to pick up coffee…"

"…for him and his wife." Emma seemed to have added this part to remind Mary Margaret of the important fact that David indeed had a wife.

"I know." Mary Margaret said three times in frustration. "I just…come here to see him."

"So you're a stalker?" Emma presumed.

"No, not really." Mary Margaret insisted, but she quickly changed her response upon noticing a questionable look Emma gave her, reminded by the special "power" the young woman had to tell when someone was lying. "Maybe a little bit. I mean, it's not like I'm following him. I just know that he spends his mornings with Kathryn, gets coffee, then drives to the animal shelter to start work at 7:30, and then he's home around five."

Emma grinned. "Oh, is that all?"

Mary Margaret hesitated a little before giving one more detail: "Thursdays they pick up Chinese for dinner."

Smith choked a little on his tea just as he heard Mary Margaret give that last detail, inadvertently gaining the attention of the two ladies. "Mr. Smith," Emma said, "Didn't see you there."

"I'm sorry." Smith said, gently wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I don't mean to laugh. It's just…"

"No, it's okay." Mary Margaret said with one hand raised in protest. "I _am_ pretty pathetic, aren't I?"

Smith shook his head with a grin. "Oh, no. I wouldn't say that. You're just a young woman who's in deep love."

"Yeah, but love's the worst." Mary Margaret declared. "Especially with David…I just can't get him out of my head."

Smith nodded understandingly and placed a gentle hand on Mary Margaret's shoulder. "I'm sure the feelings will eventually pass, M.M. Just keep reminding yourself that there are plenty of fish out there in the sea."

Mary Margaret smiled at her fellow schoolteacher. "Thank you."

"Ah! Mr. S, that reminds me." Emma said before pulling an item out from underneath her and handing it to Smith. "Henry wanted me to let you have this for a while. He says that he hopes it'll 'refresh' your memories."

Smith let out an amused chuckle when he took the thick old book out of Emma's hands. He knew exactly what the book was and shook his head. "Henry really believes I'm some sort of alien doctor, doesn't he?" Smith continued to chuckle while flipping through the pages of the storybook. "It's funny. I don't seem to recall any fairy tales of such a character."

Emma shrugged. "Me neither. But Archie thinks it's something Henry made up to put you somewhere in his idea of everyone here being a cursed fairy tale character. He's got everyone except for Mr. Gold figured out, but you're like a 'missing link' to him. In his version of these fairy tales, you're the one who will eventually break the curse…the _real_ hero of the tale."

"I thought that was you." Smith assumed.

"Apparently I'm like your 'companion' or something." Emma clarified.

Smith laughed. "Companion? Oh, my. I wouldn't be the type to ever carry around a companion."

Mary Margaret suddenly glanced over at the clock and realized how much time had passed since David left. "We'd better get to the school before we're late, John." As she stood up from her table, she quickly took notice of the tie Smith had worn with the black and white suit he was wearing for school. "John, did you look in the mirror while you got dressed today?"

"Pardon?" Smith uttered, very confused.

Mary Margaret giggled. "Your tie…it looks so crooked and barely even tied."

Smith looked down at his tie and noticed the poor condition it was in. "I thought I did a fine job, thank you."

"Not fine enough. Here, hold still." Mary Margaret commenced in untying Smith's long black tie and retying it in a more suitable way. "You know, you should really consider wearing a bowtie for once."

"No!" Smith exclaimed, pointing a stern finger at Mary Margaret. "_No_ bowties! Bowties _aren't_ cool!"

Mary Margaret snickered before finishing up on Smith's tie and taking a step back to admire her handiwork. "There. Perfect in every way." She then gathered her hat, book, and bag and headed towards the door. "Now, c'mon! We're going to be late!"

"Right. I'll catch up with ya." Smith waved her off, letting her step out of the diner, and focused on Emma once more. "I think Henry ought to read _this_ book sometime. It has a lot of his Doctor character in it." He handed Verity Newman's book over to Emma.

Glancing at the title of the book, Emma's eyes widened in wonder. "_A Journal of Impossible Things_? What's it about?"

"Just as it says on the title." Smith indicated. "It's a supposedly non-fictional account of events that happened in the life of Verity Newman's great-grandmother, Joan Redfern, when she met an alien visitor whose life resembles Henry's 'Doctor' quite well."

"You think she was for real on this?"

"I doubt it. My thoughts are that she had vivid dreams of the events she depicts in this journal of hers and just jot them down for sport, much like _all_ writers." Smith appeared somewhat motivated as he added, "Thinking of writing one myself soon…I've had quite interesting dreams myself as of late."

Emma smiled. "Dreams like what?"

Smith looked off into space as he reminisced. "A young redhead…Amelia Pond is her name…er, the name that my subconscious picked for her, I guess. Anyway, 'Amy' and I were having lunch by this lake in Utah, and we were interrupted by this astronaut that had risen from the lake. Of course, I bravely went to confront this astronaut before…" He stopped abruptly and looked towards Emma, grinning from ear to ear.

"Before what?" Emma impatiently asked.

At the corner of his other eye, he even noticed Ruby listening intently to the depiction of his dream. Finally, Smith smugly uttered a single word: "Spoilers." He then turned to the door, laughing energetically. "See ya later, Swan."

Both Emma and Ruby scoffed over the arrogant schoolteacher. While Ruby returned to her work, Emma shook her head and gazed upon the book that Smith had given her, flipping through the pages. She placed her thumbs in between two pages and focused on one section in the middle of the book, which featured colorful illustrations. One of these illustrations appeared to resemble the police box across the street from the diner. The detail on it was so great that Emma had to quickly glance between the real thing and the book's illustration, her face registering mystification and astonishment over the resemblance.

Was it pure coincidence or did this particular police box truly did have a connection to Joan Redfern's "story?"


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight: The Mysterious Relic**

A black carriage drawn by equally black horses was driven by a driver clad in black himself. The carriage was escorted by six black knights riding on other horses of the same color, clearly providing a _royal_ escort for the important person inside of the carriage. The escort traveled ten miles through the forest road before coming to an abrupt stop as something in the middle of the road blocked their path. The abruptness of the stop slightly rocked the carriage, angering the woman inside of it.

"_What_ is going on out there?" She furiously screamed.

The lead knight struggled with his response, not once looking away from the object blocking their path as he addressed the passenger. "Um…there appears to be…something barring our way, Your Majesty."

"Well, move it!"

Again, the knight struggled with his words. "I…I don't know if we _can_, Your Highness."

It was quiet in the carriage before the woman demanded in a low, vicious tone. "Open the door."

Immediately, another knight climbed off his horse and approached the carriage, opening the door for the passenger. Stepping out of the carriage was the Evil Queen of Happily Ever After, donned in a long, black dress that completed with the ensemble of her escort. Her dark brown eyes glared over the knights before her momentarily before eyeing the thing that had blocked her escort's path: **a tall blue box that had the word "police" labeled at the top of it**.

"What is that _ugly_ thing?" The Queen inquired with a disgusted look. "More importantly, why is it on _my_ road?"

Before the lead knight or any of the other knights could have responded, there came an answer from seemingly out of nowhere. "Perhaps the question you should be asking is _where_ this mysterious relic has come from."

After a brief second, a dark figure stepped out from behind the blue box and revealed himself to be none other than Rumplestiltskin. Having heard of this dark wizard, the Queen's knights unsheathed their swords, ready to defeat themselves and the Queen at all costs. However, the Queen quickly ordered them to put their swords away, not wanting to anger the wizard or provoke him into using his magic to harm them. After controlling her men, the Queen questioned to the wizard, "Where _did_ it come from?"

Rumplestiltskin grinned upon giving his answer. "It appeared…from the sky. This makes it a _very_ special box…and extremely powerful!"

Undoubtedly, he was luring the Queen into finding enough interest in the blue box to make some sort of deal into taking it as hers…and it seemed to be working when she asked, "What's your price?"

The wizard chuckled sinisterly; he was delighted to see how she was catching on. "So you _are_ intrigued by this gift from the gods?"

"I don't believe in gods." The Queen admitted. "But I do believe in powerful relics…and if this one is as powerful as you claim it to be, then I wish to have it in my possession. So…what is your price?"

Rumplestiltskin's grin widened. "Well, magic _always_ comes with a price…but I don't necessarily believe this relic to be magic."

"Then why are you so determined to sell it to me?" The Queen asked with a hint of frustration in her voice.

The wizard moved in closer to the Queen, irking her knights but not herself. "Because you _truly_ desire it…I saw it in your face the moment you first laid eyes upon it…even _before_ I said it to be 'powerful'."

He circled around her, allowing her gaze to fall on the blue box once again. The Queen smiled as she examined every inch of the "relic," as Rumplestiltskin so alluringly described it. "You're right. I _do_ desire it." She approached the box and carefully placed a hand on its structure, letting euphoria overtake her.

Watching her, Rumplestiltskin gleefully twiddled his fingers. "So…what deal shall we make in exchange for this wonderful blue box?"

The Queen slowly moved her hand away from the box and turned to the wizard, suddenly becoming all business. "What do you want?"

Rumplestiltskin was very quiet for a brief moment and then answered, "A favor."

"Well, what is your favor?"

The wizard laughed and shook his head. "Not _my_ favor…_your_ favor."

The Queen snickered. "And what favor would I ever ask from you?"

"Oh, I don't know." Rumplestiltskin remarked. "But you _will_ ask one of me in the near future…and _when_ you do, I will graciously give it to you."

"With a price, nonetheless."

Rumplestiltskin grinned. "_Always_."

After careful consideration (and slight hesitation), the Queen finally said, "Deal." She then returned her gaze to the blue box, noting how it contained a set of doors that led inside of it. When the Queen tried to open these doors, they would not budge, prompting her to turn to the wizard for assistance. "How do you open it?"

She turned Rumplestiltskin's way and discovered that the wizard had vanished from the road, leaving no trace. Not even her knights knew of where he had gone, even though he was standing right in front of them. Aggravated by his sudden disappearance, the Queen ordered her lead knight to bring some men to the road to retrieve the box for her and bring it back to her castle; she ordered two of her men to stay and watch over the box until then. Climbing back inside her carriage, her escort continued down the road – moving around the box – and headed to her castle. During the entire way, the Queen could not stop thinking of the mysteries behind the "relic" that Rumplestiltskin had supposedly discovered.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine: Memory from the Old Homeland**

John Smith sat at the counter in Granny's Diner the next weekend, reading more of "Once Upon A Time," Henry's storybook. Most of what the schoolteacher had gotten from the book intrigued him, regardless of the fact there were certain pages missing (some of which included images referring to this "Doctor" character of Henry's). The character sounded vastly different in comparison to Smith himself – an eccentric alien with a taste for bowties and "cool" hats. Although Smith enjoyed the occasional baseball cap every now and then, he was not quite too fond of hats of any type…especially not a fez. Reading about this "Doctor," Smith could not fathom why Henry would be reminded of such a strange character when he looked at him.

"Interesting book you've got there."

Smith turned away from where his focus was in the book to see an unshaven gentleman approach him from the left, glancing at the book he had in front of him. He recognized the individual as the recent visitor to have arrived in Storybrooke. No one, not even Smith, knew of his name or where he had come from; they only knew that he was a writer.

"Yes, it is." Smith uttered. "A friend gave it to me…says that one of the characters in it reminded him of me."

The stranger nodded. "Nice. Prince Charming, I'm guessing?"

Smith chuckled, shaking his head. "No…a doctor."

"A doctor?"

"Well, _The_ Doctor, from what he describes. Some sort of alien from another planet, flies around in this blue box, and somehow ends up in this fairy tale land where he's seen as some sort of wizard. I'm reading this part of the story where he meets the Wicked Queen and bargains with her over his 'magical' blue box."

The stranger grinned. "Interesting indeed. Mind if I take a look at it?" Smith shrugged nonchalantly, sliding the book over to the stranger. Flipping through a few pages, the stranger nodded and smiled from what he saw. "This'd be great inspiration for the book I'm writing. Can I borrow this book for a while?"

Smith was not certain whether he should have given his approval or not for the stranger; he only just met him, so he did not know how much trust he could put in him, especially with a property that was not his. Yet there was something about this stranger that Smith felt trusting about, so he decidedly nodded and said, "Sure. Why not? I'm certain Henry wouldn't mind. You've met him before, right?"

"The Mayor's kid? Oh, yeah. We've gotten to know each other _really_ well over the week." The stranger confirmed. "Bright kid. I can see how he thinks of you as this Doctor character. You _look_ like you could be one."

It was a flattering comment that the stranger left him with before taking the cup of coffee that he ordered and walking off with Henry's book. Smith pondered on the thought of actually being a doctor, not necessarily the one out of the storybook, but merely a doctor of sorts. Taking a sip from his tea whilst lost on such a thought, he was soon approached by Emma, who he noticed walked into the diner, bundled up in a wool hat and gloves.

"Hey there, Mr. Smith." She said. "You got time to go and see Henry with me at his castle?"

"Certainly." Smith approved. "In fact, I was just talking about Henry a second ago with our new visitor – the writer?"

Emma nodded slightly. "Well, it's good to hear him making _some_ friends in this town. The guy seriously gives me the creeps."

"Ah, he's not such a bad chap." Smith remarked as he got up from the counter and followed Emma out of the diner. "In fact, he even believes I could be a doctor."

"_The_ Doctor?" Emma said in surprise.

"No, not _him_. That bloke is ten shades of weird from what I read of him in Henry's storybook."

As Smith and Emma walked out of Granny's Diner, they quickly spotted Mr. Gold across the street with a few movers, surrounding the antique police box. Gold guided the movers as they wheeled the police box away from the spot it had been sitting in for weeks and into a box truck parked near the curb. Smith was slightly confused at the sight.

"Mr. Gold's made claim on the police box?"

Emma shrugged, equally as confused as Smith. "I guess. I thought it was his the entire time it was there."

While the movers were wheeling and securing the police box into the box truck, Mr. Gold spotted Smith and Emma from across the street and walked over to them, his cane guiding alongside him the entire way. "Ah, Miss Swan, Mister Smith…either of you wouldn't by chance happen to be interested in purchasing the newest addition to my shop." After stopping in front of them, he pointed to the obscured police box with his cane.

"I don't think Mary Margaret would be too interested in having a nine-foot tall blue box sitting in her living room, Mr. Gold…but thanks." Emma answered with a hint of sarcasm.

Nodding in understanding of Emma's decline, Gold then turned to Smith and offered him a chance. "How 'bout you, Mr. Smith? I'm sure an Englishman such as you deserves a piece of English memento like that box…a memory from the old homeland?"

Smith did not want to admit it aloud, but he did grow a little fond of that old police box in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings that he would stop by the diner and see it across the street while having breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, he knew in the end that it was just an old police box; probably not worth much at all. Smith had to commend Mr. Gold for even obtaining it to try and sell to someone in or out of town for a sucker price.

"No thank you, Mr. Gold." Smith politely rejected. "As much as I miss my old home in Gallifrey, England, I'm much happier making new memories here in Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma raised a puzzled eyebrow. "I thought you were from _Nottingham_, England."

Smith seemed perplexed himself of what he had said. "Right…Nottingham. What did I say the first time?"

"You said 'Gallifrey, England.'" Emma recalled. "Where did you get 'Gallifrey' from?"

He tried to think back on it, but could not come to any reliable conclusion. "No idea." Momentarily distracted, staring off into space, he soon snapped out of his trance and returned his focus on Gold. "Thank you, Mr. Gold, for your offer. I hope you find a good customer for that police box."

Gold smiled confidently. "I'm certain that I will, Mr. Smith."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten: Earth or Bust**

Through the entire journey in the forest, the Doctor had been impressing Red Riding Hood with stories from his own life. Tales of creatures like Cybermen, Daleks, Sycorax, Autons, Sontarans, and many others that Red all believed to be part of this mystical land above the clouds known as "Gallifrey." It was such an impressive series of tales that Red could have believed some of it to be fairy tales, especially the part about the Cybermen.

"People encased in metal armor?" Red uttered, following on the description that the Doctor provided for her. "They sound a lot like knights to me."

"Not knights." The Doctor elaborated. "Definitely not knights…or people."

Red shook her head in confusion. "Not knights or people…what are they?"

"They're just…Cybermen." The Doctor only managed to answer.

Red chuckled. "You come from a _very_ strange land, Doctor. The names of these enemies you have sound perplexing and fascinating all at once. And the strangest part is how you dress."

The Doctor quickly glanced at her at the mentioning of his attire, lightly touching his bow tie. "What about the way I dress?"

She saw the offended look on his face and felt a little ashamed. "Oh, I didn't mean any offensive, Doctor. It's just…you don't really dress like any of the people in this land."

"Well, from where I come, outfits like the one I'm wearing are very cool."

"Very what?"

"It's an expression. 'Cool' means 'good'…it's also another word to depict temperature like 'cold' or 'chilly' or…"

Red quickly stopped the Doctor before he continued any further. "I get the message, Doctor." She suddenly spotted something just ahead of them that alarmed her enough to beckon to crouch down into the foliage. "Doctor, watch out!"

Puzzled from her warning, the Doctor looked around to see what the danger was. "What? What's going on? What have I missed?" Red pointed ahead and the Doctor followed her gaze to find two black knights standing in front of a familiar blue box in the middle of the road. Seeing the blue box, the Doctor's face lit up with joy. "The TARDIS!"

Red shushed him just as soon as he gave his outburst. The two black knights turned their heads slightly, believing to have heard the Doctor; but they soon went back to keeping watch, ignoring the noise.

"Your _what_?" Red quietly asked.

The Doctor pointed to the blue box that the two black knights were standing in front of. "You see that thing? Well, it's what I use to travel between the land where I come from and the one here. It's called a TARDIS."

Looking over to the TARDIS, Red seemed puzzled. "But…you fell from the sky…I saw you."

"Yes, yes, that was the _hard_ way." The Doctor said. "The TARDIS is the _easy_ way." He kept his focus on the TARDIS every second, particularly noting the two black-armored guards in front of it. "I just need to figure out _one_ easy way to get to it without being seen by those knights." He then wondered aloud, "What _are_ they doing near it anyway?"

"Those are the Queen's men." Red informed. "Your blue box must be remarkable if _she's_ interested in it."

From what the Doctor had read about the Queen in Henry's book, the situation did not bode well for him. "Now I _really_ need to find a way to get it before _she_ does."

"I know of a way." Red admitted. "But you have to promise me that you'll take me with you."

Upon hearing her request, the Doctor stared at Red for a long while; he saw the exuberant, hopeful look on her face, which told him how much she really wanted to go with him. Smiling at her, he finally told her, "It's a deal." He sealed the deal with her on a handshake right before she commenced in sharing her plan with him.

* * *

><p>The black knights standing before the TARDIS said not a single word while waiting for more of the Queen's men to return with a wagon to carry the mysterious blue box back to her castle. Of course, the silence was soon broken once Red appeared before the knights and cried hysterically, "Please help me! There's a fire nearby! It's spreading fast!" She pointed in the direction of the supposed forest fire, and the knights saw a pillar of dark grey smoke rising above the trees, only a short distance from the road.<p>

Following the direction of the smoke, the two black knights left their post and disappeared into the forest. Red watched them leave, dropping the hysterical act she put on and smiling victoriously. Just as soon as they were away, the Doctor emerged from behind the TARDIS and approached Red. "Brilliant! Just absolutely brilliant!" The Doctor told her with an amused grin.

"So…what now?" Red asked.

"Now I just need to do a systems check with the TARDIS, and we'll be off." The Doctor stated. "Just stay out here for a moment, and I'll bring you aboard with me."

Although Red was not entirely sure what a "systems check" was, she trusted the Doctor enough to let him do whatever necessary to prepare for whatever journey she was about to take with him. Turning to the doors of the blue box, the Doctor opened them with just the snap of his fingers. With the blue box's doors opened, Red briefly caught a glimpse of the inside, which was filled with strange machinery that she had never seen the likes of before – not even in a dream. The stranger part was how much bigger the inside of the blue box was than the outside.

The doors closed again, leaving Red standing alone outside the wonders in the Doctor's TARDIS. She waited patiently for him to do his "systems check," yet she seemed extremely anxious at the same time, hopping and grinning from ear to ear. Soon she heard noises that sounded close to grinding and whirring around the blue box as the light on top of it blinked on and off a few times. While these events were occurring, the TARDIS began to dematerialize before Red's petrified eyes. Before she could figure out what was happening, the TARDIS had vanished.

Alarmed, Red looked around in uncertainty, searching for any trace of the blue box and calling out to the Doctor. There was no response and no trace of the TARDIS, much to Red's immediate disappointment. After a few minutes passed, she fell to her knees and sobbed, feeling greatly betrayed by someone she was beginning to consider an excellent friend – if not more.

* * *

><p>The last image that the Doctor had seen on the view-screen above the control console was Red Riding Hood's excited face as it morphed into confusion and then settled on sadness upon the TARDIS's departure. That last expression was one that he was all too familiar with; however, most times when he saw it, it was never intentional…unlike this case. There was no "systems check" needed for the TARDIS, at least not to the Doctor's knowledge. It was merely a lie to keep Red from going with him in the TARDIS. Had he told her the truth, she would have tried to convince him to stay in this land of fairy tales…that was what he kept telling himself while he traveled through the vortex.<p>

"I'm sorry, Red." The Doctor said to the disappearing image on the view-screen. "My story has one unhappy ending that I wouldn't want you to be a part of." He then switched off the screen and focused on his primary objective: **getting back to Storybrooke**.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven: O Captain, My Captain!**

John Smith felt like a long morning stroll through town was just what he needed to take his mind off the fact that Valentine's Day was coming. He was not certain why being alone on the love-fest holiday bugged him so much, considering that he never was one to keep company. The strangest part was that he had never felt lonelier than he did that day and the days that followed. It was a feeling that he wished would go away, but it had not, even after walking a few miles.

After a while, he started waiting for the right distraction to take his focus off the thoughts of loneliness running through his mind. And, just as that right moment, it came in the form of a black sports sedan that had pulled right in beside Smith. He glanced over to the vehicle as the driver side window came down, revealing the devilishly handsome man. From what Smith could tell while standing just a foot away, the male driver wore some type of World War II garb.

"Hey there." The man said to Smith. "I'm real sorry to bug ya, but do you know someplace where I can get some fish and chips? It's going to be a long drive from here to the airport, and I don't wanna keep myself famished during a _very_ important trip."

Smith chuckled. "An American with a taste for fish and chips? Never thought it possible." He pointed in the direction opposite of where the stranger was heading. "There's a diner a few blocks behind you that sells not only the best tea in the bloody world."

The driver looked around his shoulder and shook his head in aggravation, grinning foolishly. "Ah, damn. Knew I was headin' in the wrong direction."

"I can show you there." The driver began to raise his hand in protest, but Smith quickly rebutted. "And it's no bother. I think I need a good cup of tea to take my mind off of…something right now."

Seeing the look of frustration on Smith's face as he uttered the word "something" told the driver that there really was _something_ he wanted to forget. With a nod, the stranger beckoned, "Hop in." Smith walked around the sedan from the back and climbed in through the front side passenger door, buckling his seatbelt as he settled in. "So what's your name?"

"John Smith. Yours?"

The driver smiled as he extended his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."

* * *

><p>Smith and Captain Harkness walked into Granny's Diner just as Ruby had passed by with a pitcher of coffee, nearly bumping into Jack. "Oops. I'm sorry. Excuse…" She looked up and took one look at Jack, and she practically melted. "…me?"<p>

Jack flashed a stunning smile that almost caused Ruby to become faint. "Why, hello. Table for two?"

"Don't mind if I do." Ruby whispered.

Smith stifled a laugh. "Uh, I believe he means a table for the two of us, Ruby."

She barely heard Smith correcting her with her eyes still focused on Jack's. "Oh…right. Um…"

"We're just kidding, Ruby." Smith admitted, finally letting himself go with laughter. "C'mon, Jack."

The two men walked around Ruby, who just could not stop staring at Jack the entire time he was there. Only when she heard her grandmother clearing her throat at her did she return to her waitressing duties, going to the table that Mary Margaret was sitting and pouring her some coffee as she conversed with David.

Jack and Smith sat near the back of the diner. Removing his coat and draping it over the chair he sat in, Jack glanced around the diner and realized how much it reminded him of a classic 1950s diner. "Excellent era." He saw the quizzical look on Smith's face with his compliment. "This diner, I mean. It's got that quaint period to it."

Smith nodded understandingly. "Ah, I see. Well, Granny does tend to stick with the old school to give it that comfort effect."

While the two men communicated, Ruby approached with her half-emptied pitcher and inquired, "Can I get you boys anything?"

"The usual for me." Smith requested with a smile, while noticing that Ruby was looking at Jack when she asked.

"I'll take coffee with your best pastries." Jack answered.

"We've got some Danishes that'll put an awesome taste…right in your mouth."

The extremely sultry way Ruby made the offer to Jack turned a few heads in the diner, especially her grandmother's. Again, Granny cleared her throat, quickly reminding her granddaughter where she was. The whole thing made Jack chuckle with amusement as he told the flirty waitress, "Danishes will be great. Thank you."

Ruby left their table to get the gentlemen's orders, allowing them to resume their conversation. "You'll have to excuse Ruby," Smith told Jack. "She tends to be a little 'too happy' with any handsome customers she meets."

Jack grinned. "No kidding."

"So where are you flying to, Jack? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Headin' back to Cardiff for a while. There's something that's come up here in the States, and I need to check around my old stomping grounds in order to take care of it."

While Jack was explaining himself, Smith spotted Emma passing by; she briefly looked his way at the same time, and they shared a short, silent greeting in the form of smiles. As Emma sat at the same table as Mary Margaret, Smith returned his attention to Jack, catching to the tail end of his explanation.

"So…you're looking for something in Cardiff?"

"More like some_one_." Jack clarified. "It could just be a wild goose chase, as it usually is…but sometimes I get _real_ lucky in finding him."

"Him?"

Before Jack could have answered, the both of them suddenly heard a baby crying and turned to see young mother Ashley Boyd enter with her daughter, Alexandra. They watched her hand the crying baby over to Granny's care before sitting down with Emma and Mary Margaret. Seeing the three women together, Jack smiled. "Not every day when you find three gorgeous women sitting together like that, eh?"

Smith raised a questioning eyebrow, finding it hard to believe how fast the "captain," a title that Smith had not yet inquired as to how he earned, changed the subject of their conversation. To make matters worse, Ruby arrived at their table as if on cue with Jack's comment, gently setting down a small plate of Danishes with a cup of coffee for Jack and almost roughly slamming down a small cup of _cold_ tea for Smith. Before Smith could have a chance to complain about the cold tea to Ruby, she was already standing near Emma, Ashley, and Mary Margaret's table and offering a "Girl's Night Out" for the otherwise unoccupied women in celebration of Valentine's Day.

"I think I'll stay in Storybrooke for a while." Jack abruptly declared.

Smith, caught off-guard from his declaration (and his cup of cold tea), shook his head and uttered, "What?"

"I'm in no hurry." Jack said, sipping his warm cup of coffee.

"But I thought you said that your trip was '_very_ important?'"

"Yeah, well…change of plans, I guess." Jack again smiled – he never seemed to _stop_ smiling since Smith first met him – and took a bite from one of the Danishes Ruby had gotten for him. Captain Harkness expressed his satisfaction of the pastry with a loud moan. "Oh, she was right. This taste _is_ awesome."

Smith tried not to seem too disdainful in front of a man who was nevertheless the most enigmatic stranger he had ever encountered. Nonetheless, Smith felt like he had met him somewhere before; then again, most of his feelings have been betraying him as of late.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve: What's Your Name?**

_VWOORMP! VWOORMP! VWOORMP!_

The TARDIS rematerialized upon an open field; not far from it was a small village. Exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor had a smile on his face; he believed the world outside to have been where he last was before disappearing into the fairy tale world. However, as he gazed around the new setting, he wondered whether or not if he was successful in his task. Seeing the village nearby, the Doctor started running to it and hoped someone inside one of the homes could confirm if he was in Storybrooke. As he got closer to the houses, he slowed down and stopped after coming upon a troubling realization:

"I'm still here," he said in defeat. "That's not possible. I set the TARDIS coordinates _precisely_ to Earth." He gazed upon the houses, which were evidently too ancient in design to be standing in the time he thought he was. They were a major clue to the Doctor that he was still in the fairy tale world.

Soon the Doctor heard hoof beats approaching and turned his head in time to see a group of knights arrive. Much like the knights he had last seen, these were clad in black; but they were not donned in armor. The lead knight was a short-haired, bearded man who sat upon his horse while three others dismounted from theirs. Staring over the Doctor, the knight boldly questioned to him, "What business do you have here, stranger? You're not part of this village."

Not sure how else to respond (he thought by now he would be back in Storybrooke), the Doctor answered with honesty, "I'm…the Doctor."

The knights collectively bellowed with laughter, much to the Doctor's confusion.

"A doctor, huh?" The lead knight amusingly uttered. "We can certainly use plenty of you on the battlefield."

The three knights shoved the Doctor aside and moved towards one of the houses in the village. The baffled Doctor wanted to go back to the TARDIS and try again to reach Storybrooke, but the lead knight seemed to have been keeping a close eye on him. He then heard a loud shriek that almost made him jump from his skin; it sounded from the house that the knights entered. Within a second, they reemerged outside with a young girl, her parents following close behind and begging to the knights not to take her away.

"She's a fine, strong girl. She'll make a fine soldier." The lead knight said with a smug attitude that was evident to the Doctor.

"There's a mistake! She's turning fourteen! Only fourteen!" The father cried.

"Orders of the Duke!" The lead knight snapped. "The Ogre Wars have taken their toll this season. More troops can turn the tide."

"Perhaps it's not children you should be after, but men…preferably ones about _your_ size." The Doctor suggested.

The knight glared upon the Doctor disapprovingly. "Does that count for _you_…Doctor?" He did not get a word out of the Doctor, only a look of shame. "That's what I expected." Turning to his men, he ordered, "Take her. She'll ride with me."

"No! You can't take her!" The mother cried.

The knights brought the girl onto the lead knight's horse, but they were soon met with some resistance from her parents as they drew swords. Before they could have struck the knights, however, a supernatural force soon overtook them, creating a simulation of drowning. At first the Doctor was puzzled from where this force originated – clearly the knights were not capable of it; but then he found a dark, hooded figure on horseback with a single, glowing fist raised. It was the first real sign of magic the Doctor had ever seen in this fairy tale world he was trapped in, and it both fascinated and alarmed him.

"The Dark One seems to think I can." The knight stated, before signaling for the dark figure to cease his control over the girl's parents with a simple nod.

Dropping his fist, the force immediately disappeared and the girl's parents were able to breathe again, albeit in downfall. The knights departed from the village, leaving behind the grieving parents, who were soon aided by other villagers that came out to witness the scene. The Doctor was used to witnessing such villainous acts, but he never felt more helpless in the girl's situation. This world was still new to him, and there was much happening in it that he could not be a part of for the sake of time and space.

"Papa, my birthday's in three days. He'll come for me in three days."

In the midst of the mother's screams, the Doctor heard the woes of a boy who stood close by him; he turned to see the worried boy and his equally worried father there. "We'll find a way," the father assured his son. "W-We'll find a way."

The Doctor wished that he had not heard the exchange, because he felt even more helpless in the dilemma of another family from this village. Before any more else could happen, he started to leave the village in the confusion, making his way back to the TARDIS. Unfortunately, the Doctor was caught just after moving a few feet.

"Excuse me." It was the father of the son he had just heard. The Doctor turned and faced him with uncertainty. "You said that you're a doctor. I-Is there someone in the village that's sick?"

"No." The Doctor softly replied. "I'm just…stopping by."

The father nodded understandingly and then beckoned his son to go back inside their home. As soon as his son was away, the father approached the Doctor, aided by walking stick. "I commend you for standing up to that tyrant like you did. Many of us have wanted to…we just…"

"Don't have the courage." The Doctor finished his statement.

Again, the father nodded. "If I were courageous enough, I'd have the power to put an end to these laws of the Duke. My son will _not_ fight in their war."

The Doctor could see the conflict happening over this father's face. There was much distress in him, but the Doctor did not know of any way to help; even if he could, there was still the caution of influencing events in a world with a future literally written for it. The Doctor once again found himself standing helpless as he told the father, "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"That makes two of us, friend." The father remarked. "All the same, you've certainly given _me_ some hope. For that, I thank ya." He extended his hand out for the Doctor to shake in respect.

"You're welcome, Mister…?"

"Rumplestiltskin."

The Doctor's face lit with surprise, which was noticeable to Rumplestiltskin.

"Something wrong?"

"No…nothing's wrong." The Doctor quickly said. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rumplestiltskin. Good luck with the yarn."

Before Rumplestiltskin could question to the Doctor how he knew about his yarn-spinning profession, the Doctor was already leaving the village, running across the open field where there stood an unusual blue box that Rumplestiltskin had never seen before. He watched the Doctor go to the blue box and enter it; at first, he wondered if it was merely an outhouse, which would explain the Doctor's hasty departure. It was then that Rumplestiltskin saw the blue box fade away into open space, an event that made his jaw drop in awe. Witnessing the occurrence, Rumplestiltskin began to wonder if the Doctor was lying about being unable to help…because from the remarkable power he had witnessed over his strange blue box, it seemed like he could have.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen: Deputy-Captain Jack Harkness**

Emma enjoyed a delicious pastrami sandwich in the sheriff's office. What made the lunch even more enjoyable for her was having it whilst Mr. Gold sitting in a jail cell across from her desk. Gold spent the night in that cell, having been arrested by Emma for kidnapping and assaulting Moe French. Seeing how miserable he looked in the cell, Emma offered to him, "Want half of my pastrami?" Gold did not say a word, which provoked Emma to humor him instead. "You know I still owe you that favor. Nice pastrami is a delicious way to clear the books."

"Well, I don't need a reminder that you owe me a favor." Gold coldly said. "When the day comes that I have a request, it'll be for more than half a sandwich."

Emma grinned over Gold's refusal, clearly amused over how childish the once "powerful" Mr. Gold was acting.

"I wouldn't mind half."

Hearing the new voice in the office, Emma looked up to see Storybrooke's most recent visitor approaching her desk with that dashing smile of his. "Uh, hi…Jack Harkness, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jack confirmed.

"Right. I'm certain you didn't come all this way for half of my pastrami sandwich, Mr. Harkness."

Jack chuckled. "Of course not. I'm here for the new deputy position."

Confusion settled on Emma's face. "I had no idea it was even open."

"Well, a lot of people tell me you became sheriff after the last one recently passed." Jack informed. "I figure that since _you're_ the sheriff now, you could use your own deputy."

Emma nodded in understanding of Jack's request. "Well, I've got no problem with it…but I'm certain one Mayor Regina Mills would."

"Why's that?" Jack queried.

"Because she's always on my ass over everything I do in this town, no matter how much good it does for the people." Emma indicated. "Trust me, Mr. Harkness. As much as I _want_ to deputize you, the Mayor will think of it as a bad idea."

"Actually, Sheriff Swan, I think it's a brilliant idea."

Their heads turned just as Regina herself spoke upon entering the office with Henry. Seeing Henry show up with Regina, Emma quickly stood up from her desk and dusted the crumbs from her sandwich off her hands.

"I'm letting you have thirty minutes with Henry." Regina said. "Take him and your new deputy out for some ice cream."

Jack snickered. "Sandwich _and_ ice cream…must be my lucky day."

Regina's grant for Emma caught her off guard. "You want me to leave you alone with a prisoner?"

"Twenty-nine and a half minutes." It was all Regina said in response to her inquiry, confusing Emma even further.

Emma noticed how Regina was eyeing Mr. Gold the entire time she was at the station. As she glanced over to Mr. Gold, he smirked and said with sarcasm, "Bring me back a cone?"

Not wanting to pass off a great opportunity in being with her son again or getting to know a little about Jack, Emma grabbed her coat and headed out of the station with them, leaving Regina alone with Mr. Gold. As soon as they were out the door, she voiced her fascination over what just happened with Jack. "The only time when she's _ever_ been that grateful is when she needs something."

"You mean she's _not_ always that nice?" Jack asked, sounding amazed.

"Never." Emma uttered. "Oh, before I forget…Henry, this is Jack. Jack, this is my son, Henry."

Jack and Henry shook hands, smiling to each other.

"I hear you're going to be our new deputy," said an amused Henry. "Think you'll be able to handle the job?"

Jack laughed over Henry's question. "Well, considering all that I've been through in Cardiff, I'd say that I might be overqualified."

Emma glanced at Jack curiously. "What _have_ you been through over there?"

The smile on Jack's face, which had been on his face for most of the period he had been with Henry and Emma, suddenly disappeared upon hearing her question. "Enough to need a _special_ type of doctor."

Henry's eyes grew wide on the mentioning of a doctor. "Have you met with John Smith yet?"

"What?" Jack muttered in misperception.

"Henry." Emma whispered.

"He's the doctor you could be looking for." Henry stated.

Jack scratched the back of his head, appearing even more perplexed. "I thought he was a teacher."

"He _is_." Emma clarified. "I'm sorry, Jack. Henry's been caught up on this book John gave him about this character named 'The Doctor,' who's this alien that travels around in this blue box and…"

Emma stopped as soon as she and Henry saw the astonished look on Jack's face; he even stopped walking in pace with them, leaving them to stop with him and start wondering what was wrong. Jack almost seemed as white as a ghost.

"Jack…a-are you alright?" Emma asked in great concern.

"This book…what's the title?" Jack quietly quizzed.

"A Journal of Impossible Things." Henry said, removing his backpack and taking out the book in question for Jack to see. "It's got _everything_ about the Doctor in it, including the TARDIS, Gallifrey, and…"

"Does it mention Rose Tyler?" Jack hurriedly inquired.

Henry was barely able to answer. "I guess so. I haven't gotten very far to the end of the book, but I definitely recognize the parts about the TARDIS and Gallifrey." After letting Jack have the book to look through, Henry turned to Emma and added, "I just found out that he's got _two_ hearts! How cool is that?"

"Very," remarked Emma, who did not sound as impressed as Henry presumed she would be. She directed her attention to Jack, who was looking through the book. Noticing the frantic way he was doing it, Emma grew more concerned – more for Henry than for Jack. "Uh…hey, Henry, why don't you get a head start on that ice cream? We'll catch up with you in a bit."

"Sure. Be thinking of the flavors you want." Henry suggested and continued down the sidewalk.

With Henry gone, Emma approached Jack just as he stopped on a page of the book and stared at it in wide-eyed disbelief. "Listen, Jack, I should let you know that Henry has a _very_ wild imagination. And while I'd suggest going along with it for his sake, could you maybe tone it down a bit?"

Taking a deep breath, Jack told Emma, "Everything that's in this book is _real_…it _really_ happened."

Emma's eyes squinted with doubt. "What?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but Henry's imagination _isn't_ wild. It's the truth." Jack elucidated. "You asked me what I've been through in Cardiff. The Doctor is the reason why I was there. He's the reason why I'm here standing in front of you right now."

"And why is that?"

Jack stood silent for a moment, seeming very uncertain about what he was going to tell her next. "Alright…brace yourself for a shock, Emma…I'm over a century old."

Emma was speechless for a minute and then she burst with laughter, catching the attention of a few people passing them.

"I'm serious." Jack said. "I can't die. I'm immortal."

"No, no, I believe ya." Emma jested right before she tugged on the lapel of his jacket and added, "It'd explain your taste in fashion."

Jack shook his head in frustration. "That's exactly my point. What person would wear old-fashioned clothing like this?"

"Someone who tries a little too hard to impress the ladies." Emma answered.

Jack had a retort for that response, but he stopped himself once he realized that she had a point.

"C'mon, Jack. I've only got twenty-two minutes left to spend with Henry before Regina sends the hounds after me. You can tell him about your _fascinating_ immortality. I know he'll really love it."

Emma continued laughing hysterically while moving down the sidewalk. An exasperated Jack Harkness sighed as he momentarily remained where he was and looked back onto the page where he stopped, which featured a perfect illustration of his face with the exact details of his life that he gave to Emma. It was clear to him that she would never accept his words as truth after finding them in a book that she thought of as pure science fiction. There was only one way for him to fully convince her…and he clearly was not going to like it.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen: Out of Time and Space**

_VWOORMP! VWOORMP! VWOORMP!_

The TARDIS rematerialized near an area in a forest that was reserved for what appeared to be a golden statue; as soon as the Doctor stepped out, it was the first thing he had seen. Upon seeing the statue, the Doctor's head lowered in disappointment, since he took it as another sign that he was still stuck in the fairy tale land. Slightly smacking his head against the door frame, he wondered where he was going wrong with his attempts in escaping from the land of fantasy. He planned on going back inside to find out until he heard the sound of swords clashing loudly and a woman grunting fiercely.

Curiously, the Doctor dashed away from the TARDIS and through the Enchanted Forest, following the sounds of the battle. He finally arrived nearby a clearing where a woman with a tan-colored hooded cloak was doing single-handed battle with two ogres, brandishing a long, shimmering sword. From her excellent combat skills, it appeared to the Doctor that the woman could handle herself well, especially with the likes of such hideous characters. However, matters looked to be on the verge of becoming worse when three more ogres charged out from behind the trees, looking to assist their brethren.

The Doctor saw how these ogres were brandishing swords of their own, much to his surprise. "I thought these lummoxes only carried clubs." Ignoring the stereotype, the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out from his jacket and aimed it toward the attacking ogres. With one press of a button, the Doctor sent a static charge between the ogres' hands and the hilts of their swords, forcing the brutes to drop them while screaming out in pain. Before they could attempt at picking the swords up again, the Doctor stepped out into the clearing and yelled, "Hold it right there!"

The battle ceased just as the Doctor made his presence known, all eyes focused directly on him. "Now, unless any of you wants to see what happens when I can reverse the polarity between your exoskeletons and endoskeletons, I'd suggest you retreat immediately." Of course, none of the Doctor's words appeared to be clicking with the ogres; he assumed that he lost them on the "exoskeletons/endoskeletons" part. So, he decided to go with an alternative: "Boo."

That one word was all it took for the ogres to depart from the clearing and disappearing into the trees, leaving behind their hooded female opponent. Lowering his arm after the danger was averted, the Doctor approached the woman. "I couldn't imagine how useless this thing would be if they were carrying clubs. The only time I've ever had to use the sonic in this place, which proves to be a challenge since everything is made of wood, and the sonic…"

"…obviously can't work against wood."

The Doctor smiled and chuckled, feeling glad to see this woman understood his dilemma. "Precisely. I wish…" He stopped as soon as he found two things wrong with what the woman said: one – she knew the sonic screwdriver's invulnerability against wood; and two – she sounded _very_ familiar to the Doctor. Shaking his head disbelievingly, the Doctor slowly backed away from the hooded woman. "No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't be. It just can_not_ be! Not here! Anywhere _but_ here!"

In response to the Doctor's distrusting attitude, the woman removed her hood and revealed her gorgeous (and familiar) face to him. With a smile, she sultrily said, "Hello, sweetie."

The Doctor did not seem too pleased to see her. "You're _not_ River Song. You're just a projection…a doppelganger…some_thing_ created by the elements of this world to fool with my mind." In his anger, he shouted to the heavens, "I AM A TIME LORD! MY MIND CANNOT BE TAMPERED WITH!"

River quickly shushed him. "Keep your voice down. Bloody hell, are you ever the drama queen!"

"If you _are_ River, then where's your diary? Where's the records you keep of whatever timeline you've been, hmm?"

"Oh, you mean this?" From beneath her cloak, she pulled out a small blue book with a cover that resembled the exterior of the Doctor's TARDIS – the very same book that the _real_ River Song always kept with her. The Doctor reached out to grab the book, but River held it back from him with a sly grin. "Ah-ah, my love. Spoilers!"

There was so much about this woman that convinced the Doctor that she was in fact the River Song he knew from his own dimension; her voice, her attitude, her appearance, and even her scent all resembled the actual woman. Of course, as a precautionary measure, he scanned her with the sonic screwdriver and glanced over the readings he received from the device. The results made the Doctor's face grow pale.

"It _is_ you," he said before shaking his head. "But _how_? How are you here?"

"Still figuring that part out, but my guess would be interference with the vortex manipulator." River answered just as she glanced over the said device that was strapped to her wrist. "I believe I've wound up in the medieval times, but I don't remember reading about ogres in the history books. Aliens, perhaps?"

The Doctor shook his head in reply. "No…they were _real_ ogres."

River chuckled. "Well, that can't be so." She saw the seriousness in the Doctor's face, and her smile disappeared. "You're not joking." She gazed around the forest that surrounded her, many thoughts racing through her mind. "What is this place then? Some…Some type of fantasy planet?"

"Possibly." The Doctor stated. "Or possibly not."

"Well, which is it?" River impatiently asked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out. Like you, I came here by accident, and I'm trying to get out. Now that you're here as well, I've got double duty on my hands. And you know how much I _hate_ double duty."

The Doctor began moving out of the clearing, heading back in the direction of the TARDIS with River following him close behind. "What're the odds of you and I _both_ coming to this strange place by accident?"

"I'd tell you, but you'd be insulted if I did."

"I'd be insulted if you didn't."

"Too late. You're already insulted."

"How would you know? You haven't…"

The bickering between the two came to an abrupt stop as soon as they found themselves suddenly facing the ends of several swords, all wielded by knights dressed differently from the ones that the Doctor had faced before. The Doctor and River held up their hands in reaction to the knights' arrest, neither of them amused from it.

"Should've kept your voice down, love." River whispered to the Doctor.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen: To Mend A Broken Heart**

The end of school bell finally rang, letting all of the students in John Smith's class to leave for the weekend. Smith said his goodbyes to the boys and girls, especially one particular student who he admired that year named Sarah. Before leaving school, Sarah and Smith talked in the hallway for a brief time, pointing out how there were a few short months left before the end of the year and how much she would miss his class. Smith assured Sarah that as long as he was a teacher at Storybrooke, she would always see him around, whether it was in school or anywhere else in town. With this assurance, Sarah left school with a happier attitude, which gave some relief for Smith.

That relief was short-lived when he saw Kathryn Nolan walked briskly down the hall, passing right by him and bumping into the gym teacher without apologizing. "Watch where you're goin'," he said to her, although she was not listening. Shaking his head, he looked to Smith as he passed, gesturing to Kathryn and saying, "We get better respect _outside_ of school, am I right?"

Smith merely acknowledged his complaints with a simple nod, bothering more to see why Kathryn was at the school in the first place. He saw her walk directly up to Mary Margaret, who stood in the middle of the hallway after receiving a phone call, and slapped her right in the face. The action took Smith by surprise more than everyone else that saw _and_ heard it. All activity ceased and all eyes focused on the furious Kathryn and the shocked Mary Margaret.

The conversation between the two women was mixed with soft and high tones – the latter coming mostly from Kathryn, who accused Mary Margaret for having an affair with David. Mary Margaret tried to plead her case and tell Kathryn how she and David should have informed her about their relationship, but Kathryn was quick to reject her. It suddenly became evident to Mary Margaret that David had not been honest with his wife, which was the main cause for the confrontation happening there and then. After acerbically wishing her good luck on their relationship, Kathryn left Mary Margaret standing alone and distraught in the hallway, with every student, teacher, and parent in the school eyeing her.

Smith hurried to her, not wanting to see her be so isolated and helpless in the one place where she felt the safest. "Mary Margaret," he said as he approached with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Go home."

"Wh-What?" she uttered, barely catching what he instructed her to do.

"I'll cover here for you." Smith assured. "Just go home. Please."

It was as if he had read her mind, because it was exactly what she wanted to do that very second. The tears were already flooding her eyes at the moment she put one hand over her mouth and ran away, being careful not to bump into anyone as she left. Smith felt very cold, having witnessed one of the worst spats ever, and in a school of all places. He was also very angry – not with Kathryn, but with her husband, David.

* * *

><p>David could not believe what he was seeing as he walked up to his car. There, spray-painted in large red letters over the windows and doors, was the word "TRAMP." It was plain as day and readable to everyone who passed by and saw it. Disgusted, David hoped that one of the nearby places had a bucket of water and a sponge available for him to watch the spray paint off. As he turned to start checking, he bumped directly into John Smith, who afterward thrust him against the side of his vandalized car.<p>

"John, what're you…?"

"Shut up! Just…shut your mouth!" The furious Smith demanded. "What the hell is the matter with you? Huh? You have _any_ idea what you put your wife through…what you put Mary Margaret through?"

It was clear to David why the schoolteacher was so angry. With a heavy sigh, he innocently said, "John, I _didn't_ want any of this."

"Oh, sure you did. You wanted to be with Mary Margaret. Well, _now_ you've got her! It's just too bad you had to lose the respect of your wife and everyone else in town to get it!"

Smith's retort was enough to drive David over the edge. He advanced on Smith and furiously yelled, "Who the hell are you to judge me for…"

"I make it my business to…"

The two men were shouting so loudly that many bystanders stopped and watched the confrontation. Only one bothered to step in between them and break things up before matters got worse; that person was Jack Harkness, who seemed to be doing his duty as deputy. "Hold it, guys! Hold it! Stop it, the both of you!"

Smith viciously pointed to David and demanded, "You stay away from Mary Margaret! You've done enough to her!" After making the demand, Smith walked away from Jack and David.

With Smith gone, Jack turned to check on David. "Are you alright?"

David nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I expected that kind of reaction."

"That's not what I meant." Jack said.

David saw the concerned look on the deputy's face and realized what he was referring to. "No…No, I'm not." He gestured to his ruined car and added, "This got more out of control than I intended it to be. All I wanted was to be with Mary Margaret and for Kathryn to be happy."

"Sometimes happiness can only happen when people are honest with each other." Jack indicated.

David knew how right Jack was, but it did not make up for the situation that he was in. "There's no way to fix it, is there?"

"Maybe. Only time can mend a broken heart." Jack remarked and patted David on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get this tramp off your car before she starts asking for money."

Even though the joke was in bad taste, especially with what was going on, David somehow managed to build up a chuckle from it. He went with Jack to the nearest store to grab some soap, water, and sponge, momentarily leaving his vandalized car alone on the street corner.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen: The Wizard**

_CLANG!_

The steel doors of the dark, damp cell that the Doctor and River were placed into slammed shut just behind the Doctor. As the knight locked the door, the Doctor approached and said, "I do get one phone call, right?" The knight glared in confusion. "Right…phones don't exist in this world. What was the type of request they made in these times? Ah, yes!" After muttering to himself, the Doctor once again focused on the knight and demanded, "I request an audience with King George."

"King George will talk to you when _he_ has the time, prisoner." The knight stated. "In the meantime, keep your mouth shut!" Viciously, he slammed his fist against the bars of their cell; the iron gauntlet he wore over the hand created another _clang_ sound that was louder than the first, causing the ears of the Doctor and River to ring momentarily.

The knight then walked away from their cell, leaving a disgruntled Doctor and a defeated River. "Brilliant!" River said in sarcasm. "Now what do we do?"

"You do like the man said."

Another voice spoke out near them from the cell adjacent to theirs. Due to the dim lighting of the dungeon area, it was difficult for River and the Doctor to see who or what was in the other cell, because he kept himself hidden in the shadows. He finally stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a bald dwarf with a scraggly, slightly grayed beard and a tough-as-nails face.

"You keep your mouths shut." He concluded his statement before retreating to the shadows.

The Doctor squinted as he stared toward the dwarf, smiling. "I know you. You're Grumpy."

"Isn't everybody?" The dwarf brashly remarked.

River seemed puzzled from the Doctor's identification of the other prisoner. "You mean that's one of the seven dwarfs?"

The Doctor nodded with a grin. "Still don't trust the fact that we're in a fantasy world now?"

River glared at him. "What I _trust_ is you right now? I'm certain you have a plan for getting us out of here."

"There's no gettin' outta here, sister." Grumpy uttered. "I've tried everything already. The steel goes stronger, as we get weaker."

Following on Grumpy's words, the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the steel structure of the cell with it. Watching the Doctor, Grumpy was taken aback by the strange tool that he used. "He's right," the Doctor confirmed. "These bars are lined with a metal alloy that is thicker than any found on Earth."

Suddenly gaining interest in the characters confined in the cell adjacent to his, Grumpy stepped out from the shadows once more and gazed upon the sonic screwdriver. "What the hell is _that_ thing?"

The Doctor saw how entranced Grumpy was with the sonic screwdriver. "This? This is my…magical wand." His answer brought about a strange look on River's face, until she realized that the Doctor was merely toying the grumpy dwarf.

However, Grumpy quickly caught on the hoax. "My name's Grumpy, not Dopey. I know a fairy when I see one, and you _ain't_ a fairy."

"No," the Doctor said, "but I _am_ a wizard."

River did her best to stifle a chuckle; clearly, she knew the Doctor was up to something…or at least she _hoped_ he was.

"Wizard…right." Grumpy still was not buying the Doctor's lies. "Wizards have long white beards and wear pointy hats, buddy. You ain't got _any_ of those."

A sly grin emerged on the face of the Doctor as he stuck his right arm – the arm that he held the sonic screwdriver with – through the bars and aimed his tool towards the cell door's lock. Grumpy watched as the tip of the sonic screwdriver glowed green and the lock snapped open, much to his immediate surprise (as well as River's). Removing the lock, the Doctor opened the cell door and stepped outside, lifting his arms up in the air triumphantly.

"Abracadabra!" He exclaimed.

River stepped out of the cell and went to the Doctor, seemingly amused. "You knew the lock was the only part of the cell that was immune to the sonic, didn't you?"

"No, of course I didn't." The Doctor whispered. "I was merely giving our little friend a good show. You see how out of his wits he is?"

River gazed back towards Grumpy, who was still trapped helplessly inside his cell, staring at the Doctor in a mixture of shock, suspicion, confusion, interest, and even a little hope. The dwarf was exactly in the state of mind that the Doctor described (and anticipated for) him to be. River was more impressed than she usually was with the Doctor's antics, grinning from ear to ear.

"C'mon. Let's move." The Doctor requested.

The two were just about to leave the dungeon area, until Grumpy called them back. "Hey! Let me out of here! I can help you!"

The Doctor slowly advanced on Grumpy's cell, somewhat pleased to see how desperate the rude dwarf had become. "Help us? A mere few minutes ago, you weren't willing to give us the time or day. Why should we let you help us?"

"Because I can get ya the meeting you want with George." Grumpy answered.

"Not interested." The Doctor quickly said.

Grumpy was struck with even more puzzlement. "Wait. You said…?"

"Keep up with the times, Grump! Escaping kingdoms are the new thing today, not having an audience with sadistic kings!" The Doctor exclaimed, moving away from Grumpy's cell once again.

Watching as the Doctor and River began to depart from the dungeon, Grumpy grasped the bars of his cell and shook them viciously. "Get back here, ya damned wizard! Let me out of here!" His furious demands echoed throughout the caverns that made up the dungeon, but they had fallen on deaf ears. Soon the dwarf was alone again, only much grumpier than he was before the strange "wizard" and his companion were there.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen: The Man with Two Hearts**

After dismantling and reassembling it for nearly an hour and a half, John Smith set the screwdriver down beside Granny's supposedly repaired toaster. She came to him after hearing how well he had repaired the electricity during the blackout at the Miner's Day festival a week ago, using _only_ a screwdriver. Smith brought about the same miracle to Granny's toaster, which she placed two pieces of white bread into after the repairs and waited for them to come out golden brown. Unfortunately, while one piece came out golden brown, the other was overcooked, blackened and charred.

"Damn." Smith uttered. "Thought I had it for sure."

Granny shrugged. "Don't sweat it, John. This thing's twenty years past its time anyway. I should throw it out before someone mistakes it for still working." She took the golden brown toast and placed it on a small, clean plate and put the charred piece into the nearest garbage can with the toaster.

"Even the oldest things known to man die eventually." Smith said, but he quickly caught himself once he realized who he made that statement towards. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry, Granny. I didn't mean…"

"It's O.K., sweetheart." Granny remarked, snickering. "But, just lettin' ya know, I'm not _that_ old."

Smith nodded, his face clearly blushing red. "No argument there."

"Since you're here, would you like me to get ya anything?"

Just as Smith was about to order, the bell above the entrance rang as another customer walked in. Smith and Granny both turned to see Ruby, dressed differently than Smith was used to seeing her dress, walk right in. Granny looked back and forth between Smith and her granddaughter with a little hesitation; clearly, she was torn between her work and her personal life, but she tried hard not to show it. Seeing her struggle, Smith calmly nodded for her to go to Ruby; it was no secret that the two were having trouble, and it was more important for them to mend their relationship than get Smith his breakfast.

Smith watched Granny go to Ruby with a smile. Shortly after, he was suddenly joined by another patron at the counter; it turned out to be an overexcited Henry. "I know how to prove you're the Doctor," he said.

Smith groaned in mild aggravation. "Oh, Henry…can't I at least get some coffee first before we talk about this?"

"It's plain and simple – you have _two_ hearts!"

"Beg your pardon?"

"I was telling Captain Harkness about it a couple of weeks ago, but it didn't really hit me until after Ruby helped Emma find David out in the forest with her tracking skills. She kept a trait from her fairy tale identity here that came in great used to Emma's case. What if the same thing happened to you?"

Smith smirked amusingly. "You're telling me that I have _two_ hearts just like this Doctor bloke of yours?"

"The curse didn't take away Ruby's tracking ability. Maybe it didn't take your other heart."

"Henry…"

Before Smith could go on, he stopped as soon as he saw the stethoscope that Henry removed from inside his coat. Smith's eyes grew wide upon seeing the medical instrument in the boy's hands.

"Henry! Where on earth did you get that?"

"I 'borrowed' it from Dr. Whale's office after I faked a fever." Henry admitted. "Don't worry. He won't know it's missing since he's been so busy flirting with Ruby."

Smith seemed a bit unsettled by that particular update. "Has he now?" He was taken by surprise even more when Henry placed the rubber earpieces of the stethoscope in his ears. "Henry, w-what're you doing?"

"Just breathe slowly and listen."

Following the instructions of "Dr. Henry," Smith breathed and listened as Henry placed the chest piece first over the left side of his chest – the usual area for his heart. Smith heard the steady beats of his heart through the earpieces, glad to know that it was perfectly healthy. Henry then moved the chest piece over to the right side of Smith's chest and allowed him to listen to what was supposed to be his _second_ heart. Just as he had anticipated, Smith heard not a single sound come through the earpieces.

Shaking his head and removing the earpieces, Smith told his young friend, "I'm sorry, Hen. I don't hear a thing."

Accepting his theory as debunked, Henry did not drop his enthusiasm. "O.K., maybe your body has changed, but I know some part of your mind still has to be like the Doctor's. He's a _really_ smart guy, and I know that you're just as smart as him now…"

While Henry went on with his deductions, Smith saw Granny pass them at the corner of his eye, which prompted him to turn his focus to end of the corner where Ruby continued to stand with a huge smile and a few tears running down her cheeks. Hearing the possible relationship happening between her and Whale, Smith could not keep himself from her any longer, especially after all she had been through with her grandmother and Emma's case.

First, he had to lose Henry…

"Erm, tell you what, Hen. You keep investigating this 'Doctor Phenomenon' or whatever you want to call it and get back to me when you find something else that might prove your…theories."

Henry smiled in inspiration from Smith's idea. "I'll get Captain Harkness to help me! He's just as excited to prove the Doctor really exists as I am! Thanks, Mr. Smith!"

Just as Henry left him, Smith quickly made his move; he went to Ruby just as she was sitting down at that end of the counter and sat down right beside her. As soon as she noticed Smith, Ruby was surprisingly happy to see him. "John!" She even referred to him by his first name, which she had rarely ever done. "Oh, god. I'm so glad to see you."

"You are?" Smith did his best not to smile _too_ much.

"I…I needed to tell someone about…about what I found…while I was helping Emma and Jack on their case. I can't tell my grandmother about it, because she'd freak…but I have to tell _someone_."

Smith reached for her right hand and warmly grasped it. "It's alright, Ruby. You can tell me. What did you find out there?"

Ruby swallowed hard; Smith could feel her hand quivering under his. Undoubtedly distraught, she whispered to the young schoolteacher, "I found…a heart…it w-was a _human_ heart…and it was inside this…box."

The description disturbed even Smith, and it became evident to him who the heart belonged to. "Oh, my god. Don't tell me it was…" Ruby answered with a nod before Smith even finished his statement. He moved one of his hands away from Ruby's and put it over his mouth in shock; it trembled just as much as Ruby's did under the idea of Kathryn Nolan's possible murder.

"You know what scares me the most? Knowing someone here in Storybrooke could be capable of such a thing."

"But _who_ is the question." Smith uttered.

"Emma's got someone running fingerprint tests over the box to find out."

Smith shook his head in despair. "Whoever it is, may god have mercy on his sick soul." The young schoolteacher never dreamed of having to make such a comment for someone living in a once-decent town like Storybrooke.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen: A Curious Coincidence**

Thanks to the light of the full moon above them, the Doctor and River had enough to guide them down the dirt road on horseback. Wearing a dark brown cloak as a disguise, the Doctor was amazed of how easily they were able to steal a pair of horses from King George's stable; of course, with River's vortex manipulator, any theft was possible. Halfway down the road, the Doctor, who had been leading River in the direction that he believed the TARDIS was in, stopped his horse, prompting River to stop hers as well. With the Doctor's back facing her and the hood of his cloak masking his head, River could not tell what the Doctor was doing, but she had a good idea.

"You have _no_ idea where we're going, do you?"

Beneath his hood, the Doctor had in fact been looking around in confusion; however, he refused to let River make him admit he was wrong. "No…this is a shortcut."

River rolled her eyes and moaned in aggravation. "You prideful bastard! I knew we should've kept in the same direction they took us in when they captured us!"

The Doctor turned and glared at her. "I _know_ what I'm doing!"

"Do you really? Because you _still_ haven't figured out just where we are!"

Looking down in defeat, the Doctor suddenly caught a glimpse of an object that was shimmering in the grass. Even though River was still scolding him for his lack of direction, the Doctor was more focused on the object that had caught his attention, climbing off his horse to check and see what it was. His sonic screwdriver in hand, the Doctor slowly approached the artifact and shined the light from his alien tool to get a better look at what it was.

Meanwhile, River's scolding continued as it reached an entirely different subject. "And why didn't you want to see King George? Weren't you the _least_ bit curious to know why that man had us captured and locked away?" She realized that the Doctor was not listening to a word she was saying and grew even more upset. "Oh, stop pretending like you're ignoring me!"

"I'm not pretending." The Doctor said in a nonchalant manner. "I've found something more worthy of my attention."

Ignoring his rude comment, River climbed off her horse and went to the spot he was crouched. "What _did_ you find?"

Just as she approached him, the Doctor picked up the item in the grass and stood up, turning to show it to River. Shock registered on her face as she discovered what was in the Doctor's hands. "Is that…what I think it is?"

The Doctor nodded. "The head of a Cyberman."

River snatched the Cyberman head out of the Doctor's hands and looked upon it with heavy confusion. "How did a Cyberman get here?"

"Not _a_ Cyberman…_the_ Cybermen." The Doctor corrected.

River looked to the Doctor in disbelief. "Surely you don't suppose that more of them could be here."

"They never travel alone." The Doctor deduced. "The Cybermen have traveled between dimensions before, and I have reason to believe they've done so now…only by accident."

"Just like us." River returned her gaze to the Cyberman head. "How many do you think are here?"

"Hundreds…perhaps even thousands."

"We have to find out how long they've been here. If anyone discovers them, their lives could be in danger."

"Or someone could abuse their power. We're in a fairy tale world, River. A world with many powerful beings – more powerful than even the Cybermen. And if any of these beings happen to be of evil standards…" The Doctor paused with a hint of anxiety. "…well, let's just say that no one in this world will live 'happily ever after'…ever."

They suddenly heard the cry of a wolf in the distance, alarming them only slightly.

"Let's get back to the TARDIS and find out what point the Cybermen arrived." The Doctor hastily instructed.

"Should we bring the head?" River motioned the object to the Doctor.

"No, I've gathered enough information through the sonic screwdriver for the TARDIS to tell us when and where we'll need to go, so leave it. If we're fortunate enough to change time in this world, then that head will have never been there."

River did as the Doctor said and dropped the head back into the grass before climbing back on her horse. "If you don't mind, sweetie, _I'm_ leading the way this time."

The Doctor watched her in annoyance as she started riding down the road again, not waiting a second for him to climb back on _his_ horse. He quickly done so and caught up with her the best he could. Just as the two travelers departed, a lone figure emerged out of the forest and into the light of the moon. Had the Doctor stayed much longer, he would have recognized this figure as Rumplestiltskin, who carried a particular interest in the Cyberman head that was left behind. The wizard picked up the head and stroked its sleek steel structure gingerly, grinning with greed.

_What more surprises have you hid from me, dear Doctor?_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen: Miss(ing) Mary Margaret**

Riding in the passenger seat of Jack Harkness' sedan, Smith felt uncomfortable being driven by a stranger like Jack, but it was the only ride he could get to the station as soon as he heard that Mary Margaret had been jailed for the possible murder of Kathryn Nolan. Smith felt extremely tense during the entire ride, which was plagued with awkward silence between him and Jack. Harkness realized how tense he was, especially considering how this was a close friend of his that was being accused of a heinous crime, and he decided to break the tension by changing the subject.

"You know, Henry's been telling me these wild theories about you being the Doctor." From the corner of his eye, Jack could see Smith slowly turning his head towards him. Jack turned his momentarily to see Smith giving him an odd look. "You know…from Verity Newman's book?"

Smith did not say a word; he returned his focus to the window, gazing out at the passing street corners.

Jack was resilient, continuing on the topic. "A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I was hoping to look for someone in Cardiff. Well, that someone is like this Doctor who Henry mentions about. He's a brilliant man with unlimited capabilities. He doesn't have _all_ the answers, of course; but he knows enough to save countless people."

"But he's also dangerous, and anyone around him suffers death and destruction…at least according to Joan Redfern."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that _does_ follow him."

"And Henry believes that _I'm_ such a person." Smith disdainfully said with a snicker. "It wouldn't surprise that he would paint me as this character, seeing how he believes his own mother is 'The Evil Queen.'"

"I'm certain Henry doesn't mean to do it in offense, John."

Smith shook his head. "I'm not offended by it… I've kinda grown fascinated by it lately. Just the other day, he actually stole a stethoscope from Dr. Whale's office to use on me and prove that I had two hearts just like the Doctor."

Jack laughed hysterically. "Well, that _is_ somethin'!"

Smith wanted to laugh himself, but the thought of Mary Margaret brought him back to a downtrodden demeanor. "We should really focus on Mary Margaret."

Jack knew the fun was over when he saw the seriousness return to Smith's face; as much as the captain wanted to continue a discussion that could mean accomplishing a major goal for him, he respected the schoolteacher's wishes and allowed the awkward silence to seep back into the sedan for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

><p>When Jack and Smith finally arrived at the station, they found Emma nowhere around, meaning that Mary Margaret was there alone in her jail cell. Smith was slightly disappointed in Emma for leaving Mary Margaret alone, thinking how much better it would have been to have a friend there with her, so she would not feel as isolated as she already did even before being locked up. Of course, reasoning soon took in as soon as Smith figured Emma was out somewhere in town to try and prove Mary Margaret's innocence.<p>

However, once Jack and Smith reached her cell, both men were shocked to discover that the cell door was wide open with Mary Margaret absent from the cell itself. At first Smith believed Mary Margaret had been released, having been proved innocent of the crime; but the frantic look he noticed on Jack's face told otherwise.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no!" Jack exclaimed as he rushed to the deputy's desk and picked up the phone.

Between Jack's frenetic behavior and Mary Margaret's absence from the jail cell, it did not take much for Smith to put two and two together. "No, no, no, no!" He repeated Harkness' exclamation with even more vigor. "Please don't tell me she did what I think she did!"

"Do you see her anywhere around?" Jack cynically inquired as he placed the receiver to his ear. "She's escaped, John. Plain and simple."

Smith gazed at the cell in shock and confusion. "How could she do such a thing?"

"She's been convicted of murder. The desperation got to her."

"No, I mean _how_ could she have done it?" Smith indicated the distance between the jail cell and Jack's desk, which was where the keys to the cell lied. "She was pretty far from your desk, so unless she's capable of magnetic powers, there's no way she could've gotten them off there."

Jack quickly saw Smith's point; as he looked upon the indicated distance, he heard Emma's voice come over the receiver, saying "hello" and asking who it was. After holding the receiver near his ear for almost a minute, Jack finally hung it up and moved inside the jail cell, inspecting every inch of it. After finding no evidence of Mary Margaret's escape, Jack finally refocused on Smith and shrugged. "She _must_ be Houdini, because I can't find a damn thing."

"We have to go look for her." Smith suggested.

"I have to let Emma know first."

"No! You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I want to give her a chance to change her mind when we do find her. I know Mary Margaret, Jack. She wouldn't try to leave town after being convicted of murder."

"Then where could she be?"

Smith did not respond; he only looked to Jack with desperately hopeful eyes.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty: Red Riding's 'Hood**

It was getting late and starting to snow, and the Doctor and River had yet to reach the TARDIS, even with River leading the way; fortunately, River did lead them to a cottage. Between the cold temperatures and how dark it was becoming with the moon shielded by the clouds, River found it best to take shelter in the cottage. The lights inside showed that the cottage was in fact occupied, but River had faith in the good nature of the owner to let them in.

"We'll need to take shelter." River told the Doctor.

From beneath his snow-covered hood, the Doctor smiled. "Thought _you_ could get us there quicker, did you?"

"Oh, shut up." River uttered before directing their horses down the path leading to the cottage. As soon as they arrived, they dismounted from their horses and approached the door. The Doctor knocked a few times and waited patiently. After a few seconds, the door finally swung open and the owner showed herself.

The face that the Doctor saw stopped him cold; the owner was Red Riding Hood, and he was not certain if this was the Red who he abandoned on the road a couple of trips ago or one before that event. The randomization of his trips in the fairy tale land made it difficult for him to determine when or where in the timeline he landed. Confident that the current time he was in was one prior to his first meeting with Red, he stepped forward and said, "Hello. I'm the Doc—"

_SLAM!_

The door connected right with his nose after Red had slammed it in his face. As the Doctor's hand instinctively went to his nose to check for bleeding, bruising, or breaking, River had grinned immensely. "She seems to know you _very_ well," River bantered.

The Doctor groaned loud enough for the other owner of the cottage to hear him, prompting her to reopen the door. The other owner was Red's grandmother, simply known as "Granny," and she showed more sympathy for him than Red did. "Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry! I don't know what got into her!"

"I think I have an idea," said the Doctor as he was guided inside by Granny with River following and still grinning.

The Doctor was set down at a kitchen table with his head tilted back while Granny went to get some medical supplies, bringing Red with her to scold as she had done so. River and the Doctor could hear them in the other room, yelling back and forth over what had happened. After the two were out of earshot, River giggled like a little girl and asked, "What in blazes did you do to her?"

"We unfortunately have some history."

The Doctor's voice sounded odd and barely audible with his head tilted back as it was. "Oh, put your head back down. Your nose isn't bleeding."

"No, but it _hurts_." The Doctor did as she said and put his head back in its normal position, removing his hand from it to show slight bruising. "Oh! I left her behind after promising to take her away with me in the TARDIS."

River's eyebrows rose with intrigue. "You had the chance to make Red Riding Hood your companion, and you _left_ her alone out in the middle of nowhere, heartbroken and furious?"

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"That is _so_ not you, darling."

"Well, what else could I do? I'm from a different world than her. Taking her with me is a _horrible_ idea, especially with my dea—"

He stopped immediately as he caught himself almost uttering the word "death" in front of a woman who either knew it had happened or had no idea it was going to happen. That was what made his relationship to River so complicated – the fact that he did not know what point in _her_ timeline he was meeting _her_ in; it was more puzzling than what he was experiencing with Red. From the way the Doctor saw it, River would fit in just well in this fairy tale world.

Of course, as quick as River was, not even a syllable could get past her, and the Doctor found himself caught of his own blunder. "What did you say?"

Before the Doctor could explain, Granny returned with the supplies; but the Doctor quickly protested. "Oh, there'll be no need for those. I'm quite…fine." He winced a little between "quite" and "fine."

"I-I'm so sorry, sir. I've never seen Red react to strangers that way." Granny glared at her granddaughter, who was too busy glaring at the Doctor. "I certainly hope her behavior hasn't hindered your reason for stopping by."

"No, not at all." The Doctor remarked. "My companion and I are merely looking for shelter for the night."

"Well, you won't find any here!" Red stepped in and yelled, still glaring towards the Doctor.

"Hold your tongue, girl!" Granny demanded.

"You can't trust this man, Granny." Red said, pointing to him. "He's…"

"He's staying here for the night, and that's final." Granny declared. "Besides, you heard what the men said earlier about the wolf. It's not wise to let _anyone_ roam those woods this late at night with it around. Understood?"

Red saw the stern look that her grandmother was giving her and had no choice but to comply. Hesitantly, she nodded and said, "Yes, Granny." She shot the Doctor another intense glare, which brought a chill down his spine. Seeing the animosity between Red and the Doctor, River was thankful that they were only spending the night in the cottage and not any longer.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty-One: Mad Man with a Glass Box**

"She could be _anywhere_, John." Jack tried to convince the schoolteacher.

"I don't care. We have to get to her before Emma does." Smith rebutted. "Mary Margaret's innocence is all I care about right now, and if she's not in her jail cell when Regina stops by in the morning, then how else will she protect that one thing she's got left in this world?"

Harkness knew how right Smith was, which was what kept him driving into the outskirts of Storybrooke so late at night. The headlights from his sedan were barely able to light his way. Then there came some light beyond the trees ahead, working as a guide for him. Jack followed the lights for a few more miles until he discovered that they belonged to a three-story house. In gazing upon the house, both Jack and Smith spotted Emma's yellow Volkswagen Beetle sitting in the driveway.

"What the hell…?" Harkness uttered as he pulled over to the curb and parked his sedan just a few feet from the driveway. "Why is Emma's car there?"

Even Smith was curious about the same issue. "Maybe she's questioning a possible witness?"

Jack was not buying it. "This is _way_ out of town, John…and pretty far from where we found the box with Kathryn's heart. There's no way the owner of this house could've been a witness to _anything_ that goes on in town."

"Then what other reason would Emma have for stopping here?"

Harkness remained silent for a brief moment before unbuckling his seatbelt and saying, "Only one way to find out."

Seeing him as he was stepping out of his car, Smith was caught by surprise. "Wait. What about Mary Margaret?"

"Which mystery do you want to solve? The Case of the Missing Schoolteacher or the Case of the Unknown Resident?" Harkness could see the uncertainty on Smith's face; while he was set on finding Mary Margaret, he was rapidly growing intrigued by the house that he had never seen in his years of living in Storybrooke. "Tell you what…you check the house and I'll go search for Mary Margaret. This way we get the best of both worlds."

Smith reluctantly nodded in agreement with this plan; although he could not trust Jack as far as he could throw him, Smith knew Jack would do the right thing for the sake of Emma, a woman who actually trusted Harkness enough to make him deputy (or "Deputy-Captain" as he preferred). As Jack closed his door and re-buckled his seatbelt, Smith unbuckled his and stepped out, leaving Jack to continue the search on his own. Turning his attention to the mysterious house, Smith walked up the driveway and passed by Emma's Volkswagen; he saw no one inside the beetle, which meant that the driver was still inside.

The schoolteacher had moved from curious to nervous with each step he took towards the front door; he was beginning to wish that he told Jack to just keep driving and abandon the thought of going inside. He slowly approached the front door and gave a couple of hesitated knocks. His fingers were trembling and his body grew stiff; he had never felt more terrified in his life.

Smith nearly jumped when the door unexpectedly opened; he expected to hear a series of locks to unbolt before it did. The owner of the house, a man who was dressed fashionably, complete with a scarf that covered his entire neck. The man looked directly upon Smith and said in a friendly tone, "May I help you?"

"Um, yes…Hi." Smith tried not to sound too nervous. "I-I was wondering if a friend of mine is here with you. I saw her car parked outside." He indicated the beetle parked behind him. "Her name is Emma Swan."

The man did not appear to know who Smith was talking about at first; but then he nodded and chuckled. "Right, right. Emma. Yeah, she's here. We were just having tea." He stepped aside and gestured for Smith to enter. "Please. Come in."

Discovering how friendly the new fellow was, Smith relaxed a bit and entered the house. The owner immediately shut the door once he was inside, prompting Smith to turn and look back to him somewhat suspiciously. Overcoming apprehension, Smith finally asked the man, "How long have you lived in Storybrooke?"

Smiling, the owner answered, "As long as everyone else…maybe even longer."

"Quite an ambiguous answer, Mister…?"

"Jefferson. And, yes, I guess it is." He paused for a minute and added, "Then again…this is an ambiguous town. You never know _what_ goes on around here. People never leaving town, clocks that start working on their own, people experiencing unexplainable deaths…"

"Meeting strange residents for the first time."

Jefferson grinned and suddenly switched to another subject. "Do you like my statuettes?" He gestured to a nearby display case that held many models of different sizes, shapes, and colors. "I spent some of my time sculpting…mostly teapots, of course."

Smith approached the display case curiously, seeing a few of the aforementioned teapots and even teacups. He was about to turn away until he spotted one particular item that was front and center: **a heavily-detailed glass model of a police box**. The schoolteacher found himself gazing upon the model for a prolonged amount of time, gaining a sense of familiarity. He was quickly snapped out of his trance as he heard Jefferson address him once again.

"You see it, don't you? Took me years to remember all of the details."

Smith swallowed hard. "You're a fan of Verity Newman, I take it."

"No…I'm more of a fan of you…_Doctor_."

It was then he heard a cocked gun, and his heart jumped to his throat, rendering him speechless. Gradually he turned, raising up his arms, and found himself staring down the barrel of Jefferson's handgun, which was aimed directly at his head. The friendly homeowner had transformed a deranged lunatic, and Smith could see the shift in the way Jefferson was leering at him.

Smith asked the obvious question to the armed madman. "What do you want from me?"

"Home, Doctor. I want you to take me back to my _real_ home."


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Dream versus Time**

The Doctor cannot remember ever leaving Granny's house, but he somehow did and ended up back in the snow-covered enchanted forest in the morning; he was not wearing the cloak that River gave him – and she was not accompanying him either. He knew something was completely off about his whereabouts other than his absent cloak and companion. As he wandered amongst the gigantic white trees, he finally spotted a familiar sight: **the TARDIS – parked exactly where he left it**.

Not hesitating whatsoever, the Doctor ran for the majestic blue beauty and stepped inside…only find empty, confined space. It was just a regular police box to the Doctor's horror. "No…this can't be."

"It isn't, Doctor."

A different yet familiar voice spoke from behind.

"You."

Turning to face the speaker, the Doctor found himself face-to-face with the one and only Dream Lord, looking the same as he did when he first encountered him. "Surprise!" The little man exclaimed. "Didn't expect to see me any time soon, did you?"

"You being here only means that I _am_ dreaming…and the TARDIS is still back in the _real_ forest."

The Dream Lord nodded. "Yes, it is. But it's just as useless to you there as it is here. You can keep bouncing around the timeline of this world to return to that pathetic excuse of a planet called Earth, but you will never make out of here."

"I will eventually."

The Dream Lord already knew what the Doctor was thinking before he could say it aloud. "Ah, yes. The oncoming death…in Utah." He uttered the state name with a scornful tongue. "Of all the places to die, why _that_ place?"

"We'll found out as soon as we've escaped this place."

"Why escape, Doctor? Why can't you just admit you're happy that you're stuck here? No more having to worry about death, no more running, no more feeling lonely…well, that last one you've pretty much damned away with Red Riding Hood. Maybe you'll have better luck with the Queen of Hearts or Cinderella's evil stepmother. They all eventually become old hags in the end, don't they?"

"I _don't_ belong here!" The Doctor snapped in anger and frustration. "There is a curse coming to this place, and if I get caught in it, then I'll meet a fate _much_ worse than death!"

"So you'll be an ordinary man…a schoolteacher, if you're lucky. Physically, you'll still be alive."

"But I won't be mentally…and where does that leave you? The all-powerful Dream Lord? You'll be as dead as me if that curse were to get a hold of me. No more Time Lord head tricks or whatever you prefer to call it."

"Oh, we know _that_ isn't true, Doctor. No matter who or what you are, I'll _always_ be right…here." He reached forward and lightly tapped the Doctor's forehead. The Doctor felt a powerful jolt overcome his body and howled in agony.

* * *

><p>The Doctor's body jolted in the pile of hay that he slept in during his night in the chicken coup. In doing so, he startled a hooded woman who was there with him, holding two eggs that she had taken from one of the chickens. While gathering himself and seeing where his current location was, the Doctor looked to the woman there with him and discovered her to be Snow White.<p>

"I'm sorry." He managed to say to her as he picked himself out of the hay.

"A-Are you hiding, too?" Snow nervously asked.

"Me? No." The Doctor answered with a chuckle. "Red ordered me to sleep out here. I'm just a guest." He extended his hand out to her and smiled as he added, "Name's the Doctor."

Snow's eyes grew wide. "_You're_ the Doctor?"

Seeing the surprise on her face, the Doctor's smile immediately faded. "You've heard of me?" He shook his head negatively. "No…that's impossible. There's no way you could have heard of me."

"Many have spoken of a man with a blue box that vanishes out of thin air…a man who calls himself a doctor." Snow explained. "_You_ are that man!"

The Doctor stood speechless before Snow White just as she did before him. It was not until Red entered the chicken coup in alarm. "I heard a scream. What have you done now, Doctor?" She quickly saw the other party in the coup. "Are you…stealing our eggs?"

Realizing she had been caught, Snow sheepishly looked to Red. "Not a lot." She then attempted to hand over the eggs to her. "Here you go. Take them."

"Hey, it's…it's alright." Red insisted.

"Thank you." Snow acknowledged the girl's gratitude. "It was just that…last night, there was something out there. There was howling and I…I heard it…and it was so cold, so…"

"A wolf." The Doctor uttered.

Looking back at him, Snow inquired, "What did you say?"

"It was a wolf you heard." The Doctor repeated. "Apparently, there's around the forest from what I've overheard. In fact, I've figured River and I would stay longer to investigate."

This news was met with some negation from Red. "What?"

"Oh, come now, Red. You knew I was never gonna leave after hearing your Granny mention that wolf. You want me to leave, but you know that my help is truly needed in the most desperate moment of your life. You still hate me for leaving you back then, and I cannot blame you…but you _do_ need my help now, and I'm not leaving until I've made things up between us."

After making this declaration, the Doctor exited the chicken coup with the aggravated Red watching him depart. Meanwhile, Snow was smiling immensely, walking up to Red and telling her, "That's _the_ Doctor!"

Red looked upon her with surprise. "You know him?"

"Yes." Snow answered. "And I'm hoping he'll help _me_ with my own problem."


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Mad Man with a Box…and a Gun**

Mary Margaret had sat tied and gagged for an undetermined amount of time in a darkened room with the only available source of light coming from the window behind her. She was beyond terrified of the events that had transpired in previous few hours. As she escaped into the woods, she was suddenly kidnapped at gunpoint by a Storybrooke resident who she never met before. Even though it was in her goal to be somewhere that no one would find her (not even Emma), she did not want to risk her own life in the process.

She heard footsteps outside the door and grew very nervous again, knowing her kidnapper was returning to either check up on her…or kill her. The door swung open without notice and the first person Mary Margaret saw enter the room was John Smith, who was the current victim of the madman's insanity as he held him at gunpoint while wearing a hat that was reminiscent of the Mad Hatter. As soon as Smith saw that Mary Margaret was in the room, he immediately went into a state of panic and went to her.

"Mary! Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Smith attempted to remove the gag from her mouth, but Jefferson pulled him away before he had the chance. With the gun still aimed at Smith's head, Jefferson stood in between him and Mary Margaret, preventing Smith from making another attempt to free her. "She's not why I brought you here, Doctor."

Mary Margaret blinked rapidly in surprise over the strange name that Jefferson addressed Smith by.

"Look, just let her go." Smith demanded. "There's no reason for her and Emma to be here. If it's me you want, then leave just me."

"They can go…as soon as you've taken me back to where I belong." Jefferson, keeping his gun aimed at Smith, went to a large item in the room that had been covered by a beige tarp. Smith hardly even noticed the large, covered item upon entering the room, figuring it to be a valuable piece of furniture that Jefferson did not want to attract dust on. But after the tarp was removed, Smith realized that it was _not_ furniture; it was the blue police box that he had seen Mr. Gold take away a month ago.

Mary Margaret shared Smith's stunned reaction upon seeing the police box there in the room, which was barely able to suit its tall frame.

"Now," Jefferson said, "Take me home."

Smith was almost speechless; at that point, he just had to talk himself out of this situation. "Look, mate…I've got to be real with you. I am _not_ this Doctor bloke. He's just a character in a story. He's not real."

"I _know_ he is! So am I!"

Smith was taken aback by Jefferson's claim. "What?"

Jefferson sighed in frustration. "I already went through this with Emma, and she didn't believe me either."

"Where _is_ Emma? What've you done with her?"

"That is _not_ your concern!" Jefferson's loud tone made both Smith and Mary Margaret jump; between it and the fact that he was holding a gun to Smith's head, the uncertainty of what would happen next made them petrified of even the slightest action he made. Calming himself down, Jefferson told Smith, "You're my only hope, Doctor. I've seen what you could do with your box. You've shown me things it can do that my hat could _never_ do. It's my only way back to my old life…my daughter."

Beyond the crazed look on Jefferson's face, Smith could see a very desperate man…or a desperate father. It then became clear to him that these delusions were a result of whatever loss he suffered with his daughter. Because of this revelation, Smith decided to play along, hoping whatever Jefferson anticipated on happening with the antique police box would distract him while he freed Mary Margaret, Emma, and himself and got back to Jack.

"Alright, Jefferson…you've convinced me…I _am_ the Doctor. I remember everything vividly now." He then pointed to the police box and added, "We'll just step inside my TARDIS, and you'll be back home in no time." Jefferson bought into the ruse and allowed Smith to walk over to the police box and open its doors. However, Smith noticed that the doors were locked and a key had to be inserted into the lock. "You wouldn't happen to have the key on you, would you, Jefferson?"

Jefferson's face scrunched in confusion. "Key?"

_BAM!_

Before anyone could have seen it coming, Jefferson was suddenly knocked out from behind by Emma, who snuck in with a long telescope that she gathered from another room. Watching Jefferson, the gun, and his hat as they all went down, Emma disdainfully said, "Crazy son of a bitch!"

Smith sighed in relief after Emma's rescue and immediately went to free Mary Margaret. As he helped remove her gag and bonds, Smith asked Emma, "Where was he keeping you?"

"In this room full of hats." She answered. "He wanted me to make one, going on about making it work so that he…"

"…can go home." Smith finished for her. "He tried to feed me the same rubbish just a second ago, making me believe _that_ over there was the Doctor's TARDIS."

Emma looked to the police box, which she was surprised to see in the room. "Oh, my god! Where did he get this from?"

"EMMA! WATCH OUT!"

Mary Margaret's warning came a little too late as a recovered Jefferson suddenly emerged, tackling Emma right into Mary Margaret and Smith. Bodies fell like dominoes as Emma struggled against Jefferson. She tried to go for the gun that he dropped after having been knocked down, but he snatched her by the hair and hurled her against the police box. Retrieving his gun and hat from the floor, Jefferson aimed it at Emma's head and grinned.

"Off with her head."

Emma stood frozen as she stared down the barrel of his gun; she felt certain that it was the end for not just her, but Smith and Mary Margaret as well.

"HEY!"

Jefferson heard the voice from outside the room and swung around to find Jack Harkness standing in the hallway with his own gun aimed at the madman. Without hesitation, Jefferson fired on Harkness and the bullet struck the deputy-captain square in the left side of his torso. As Jack was reeling back from the shot, he fired one of his own on Jefferson, striking him directly in the right shoulder. There was enough force in the shot to send Jefferson falling back into the window, crashing through it and plummeting three stories down.

With Jefferson gone, Smith completed freeing Mary Margaret, who still remained half-tied to the chair. Emma went to the broken window and looked out to see where Jefferson's body had landed; to her surprise, all that was there on the ground were shards of broken glass and Jefferson's peculiar hat. As much as she wanted to take a moment to figure out what became of the madman after his fall, the heavy groans of Jack Harkness directed her attention back indoors where Jack was slumped against the wall in the hallway and in extreme pain.

Smith, Emma, and Mary Margaret immediately went to Jack's aid. "Jack, just lie down. Don't strain yourself." Smith instructed.

Shock registered on Jack's face as he felt his body trembling under the massive discomfort in his side. "Something's…wrong."

"Yeah, you've just been shot." Emma indicated.

Jack shook his head negatively. "No, no. Something _else_ is wrong. I'm not…I'm not…healing." His strange comment brought upon odd stares from Smith, Emma, and Mary Margaret, who all believed Jack's current condition was much worse than they feared…but not as much as Jack himself did.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?**

River headed out of Granny's house with her cloak hung over her body; she opted for placing on the hood until she saw that it was no longer snowing that morning and kept her head open to the calm breeze. After a few steps out onto the snowy field, River spotted the Doctor standing at the edge of a short hill without his cloak on. He had been staring over the hill, standing stiffly while observing something that appeared to heavily catch his attention. It took a lot to attract the Doctor's attention; River was curious to know what it was this time, so she began approaching him with an amused grin on her face.

"Found something exciting, love?"

The second he heard her voice, he sharply turned in her direction and held up his left hand with the palm facing her. "Don't come any closer."

River hesitantly stopped, seeing how strictly he was instructing her. Taking his warning as him overreacting again, River continued moving towards him. "You're not going to hog all the fun for yourself now, are you?"

"River, I'm serious. Do _not_ come over here."

She saw the deep seriousness in his face and began to grow worried. Again ignoring his warning, she moved closer until she was standing right beside him and looking down the hill to see what he saw. Down below, scattered across the snow-covered plain, were the dead bodies of hunters. Their limbs had been ripped off in gory fashion, causing much of the whiteness surrounding them to be stained with redness. It was a horrid sight for River, whose hand went to her mouth and nose, protecting them from the putrid smell that attempted to plague her senses.

Fighting the urge to vomit, she asked the Doctor, "What could've done this?"

"It was a wolf." From the corner of his eye, he could see her turning to him curiously. "A big…bad…wolf."

"How do you know?"

"Because Snow White heard one while she was camping out in the chicken coup with me last night."

More surprised than ever, River stammered, "Y-You met…_the_ Snow White?"

The Doctor and River heard slushing footsteps approaching behind them and turned to see Red and Snow walking up to the well near them. Again, the Doctor warned, "Don't touch that well."

Red's face registered annoyance with the Doctor's command; she was already starting to pull up the bucket from the well as he gave the demand. "Why? I'm just getting some water to bring in."

"Because there's no water there…there's only…"

As the bucket came up, Red saw how differently the water looked; it was deep red and very thick. "That looks like blood," Red indicated.

The Doctor rolled his eyes in aggravation. "That's because it is." He then saw Snow show up right beside him and River, gazing down over the carnage at the foot of the hill, gasping in horror. "Don't…Oh, never mind. No one ever listens to me."

"Was this the wolf?" Snow questioned.

"Yes, it was." The Doctor stated. "And I believe it was the wolf that got the Cyberman we found by the road last night, too." He was clearly addressing River and Red on the latter clarification, as the quizzical expression on Snow's face told her lack of knowledge on Cybermen.

"Well, let's hope he gets all of the Cybermen and not anymore humans." River yearned.

The Doctor shook his head negatively. "No, River. Let's hope they _don't_. We need the Cybermen to get us out of here. They're experts on trans-dimensional travel."

River chuckled. "You accepting help from Cybermen? There's a first."

"I'm sorry, but what _are_ these Cybermen you're talking about?" Snow inquired.

"People in metal armor." Red explained, recalling a past conversation with the Doctor on the beings in question. "They're like knights, but their skin _is_ the metal."

The Doctor grinned over Red's simple description. "Very good." His grinning increased as soon as he saw her smirking from his compliment – he was finally starting to get back on her good side again.

"If the Cybermen are powerless against this beast, then it's certainly a danger worth sticking around to stop." River said.

"Oh, I agree." The Doctor acknowledged. "That's why we're staying to take care of it." He noticed the pleased look River gave him and added, "Yes, yes. I'm _actually_ going to help. No reason in running away from a brilliant mystery like this. It'll be like 1879 Scotland all over again." Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor returned to Granny's house. River, Red, and Snow looked back at him, each with different manifestations: River was impressed, Red was enthralled, and Snow was confused.

"Who did you say this man was?" Snow asked Red.

"He's called the Doctor." Red responded. "And he's brilliant."

Upon hearing the familiar line, River glowered towards Red, suspecting another possible connection between her and the man she loved…one that she did not approve of one bit.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Doctor, Doctor**

Cardiff never looked so empty to Jack; running through many familiar landmarks, he saw not a single person around. The rift had finally spread across the city and swallowed everyone up out of existence. Jack and his team from Torchwood Three had failed to protect Cardiff, and it was all because he had left Gwen, Owen, Tosh, and Ianto. He knew that he should have stayed behind…he should have waited for when the time was right to leave. And now…all was lost.

After running around for what felt like hours through the night atmosphere, Jack finally gave up and stopped at Roald Dahl Plass, the former location of the Torchwood Three Hub. Panting heavily, Jack stared at the Millennium Centre in despair; but, as his eyes locked with the building, he felt something off about the sight. After a while of staring at the Centre, he found the one thing that was off about the sight: **the familiar police box situated near it**. Standing beside the police box was a tall, slim man with dark brown hair and pale skin and dressed in trainers and a light brown overcoat. Jack immediately recognized who the stranger was and ran to him with haste.

"Doctor!"

He shouted the man's supposed name, but the man did not respond.

"Doctor!"

Jack increased the volume of his voice, believing the man had not heard him the first time. When Jack was halfway close to the man and the police box, he saw him going into it, completely ignoring the fact that Jack was running to him.

"DOCTOR!"

Jack's final effort in gaining the man's attention by screaming was futile. The stranger had already gotten into the police box, shutting the door behind him. Jack had gotten close enough to the police box to touch it; but before he could have done so…

_BOOM!_

The police box exploded in a flash of intense white light right in front of Jack. The force of the blast blew Jack away while engulfing him in the light. All he could see was whiteness all around him; the light did not extinguish itself at any point, causing Jack to stir in a state of panic…

* * *

><p>Harkness slowly regained consciousness on the hospital bed as he found the light shining over his eyes was in actuality a small flashlight of Dr. Whale. Seeing that Jack was finally awaked, Whale smiled and removed the flashlight from his eyes. "Welcome back, Mr. Harkness," the doctor said while placing the flashlight into the right pocket of his white coat. "You gave everyone quite a scare when you were shouting for me in your sleep."<p>

"What happened?" Jack asked in a raspy voice.

"Apparently you were shot in the abdomen while rescuing Mr. Smith from a madman out in the woods." Whale informed, before turning to another party in the room that Jack could not see from his horizontal position. "You can ask _him_ the rest of the details. I'm merely here to see that you're making a good recovery." He briefly checked on the specific area he was shot in, which had been well-treated and bandaged up. Whale lightly touched the bandaging, causing Jack to wince a little. "Sorry for the discomfort. It was a pretty nasty wound when you were first brought into the emergency room, but we were able to take care of it before it got any worse."

"How long will it be before he'll be released?"

It was Emma Swan's voice that Jack heard ask the question, prompting him to try and sit up from the bed, only to be stopped of his attempt from the pain in his side. Whale quickly caught onto Harkness' actions and led him back down. "Whoa, whoa. Easy there, Jack. I can take care of that for you." He then automatically inclined the upper portion of the bed to allow Jack to see Emma, John Smith, and Henry standing at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, Jack." Emma gave a small wave along with Smith and Henry. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell."

Even though Jack's response was honest, the others reacted with laughter.

"It'll be a while before his wound heals, but I'll determine when the right time is for him to be released." Whale informed right before he departed from the room, leaving Emma, Smith, and Henry alone with Jack.

Smith was the first one to step forward and say, "Jack, I…I just want to thank you for saving me back there. If it weren't for you…"

"It's no problem, John." Jack interrupted; he then turned to Emma and inquired, "How is Mary Margaret?"

"I was able to convince her to go back before Regina got there." Emma answered and added with distain, "Of course, I'm starting to wish I hadn't after that district attorney Albert Spencer was brought in to interview her."

Jack winced, but not from the pain. "Things are looking that bad, eh?"

Emma smirked. "Not for long. In fact, I found some critical evidence that could save Mary Margaret."

Smith and Henry were surprised from this update. "You have?"

"Yep. And I'm gonna need your help, Henry." Emma requested.

Henry was grinning from ear-to-ear in delight. "Sure, Emma. Whatever you need."

"Cool. Let's talk about it outside the hospital." She then waved again to Jack and Smith before she and Henry walked out of Jack's room.

Watching them leave, Smith turned to Jack and gestured to the door. "I need to go, too. I'm supposed to be seeing Ruby at Granny's in an hour."

Smith was just on his way out until Jack called for him. "Wait, John. I need to tell you something." Smith stopped and returned to Jack's bedside, listening intently. "Something _isn't_ right here. I was shot and…I'm _not_ healing."

"Yes, you said that back in that lunatic's house after he shot you." Smith said. "Jack, listen…I don't know whatever life you led before coming to Storybrooke, but no one is invincible. Emma told me that you think you're immortal."

"I don't _think_, John! I _know_ I am!" Jack's raised voice drew some attention outside of the room; Smith could see the stares coming through the windows from nurses and doctors alike.

"Jack, please calm down."

"No! I need to get the hell out of here! I need to find the Doctor!"

"I'll get Whale back in here. He can give you something that will help."

"He's _not_ the Doctor I need, John! I need…"

The door swung open once more as a short, older man in a white coat similar to Dr. Whale's stepped in, carrying a clipboard. "What is the problem, gentlemen?"

Smith looked upon the short man, seeming to have recognized him at first, but losing focus on where he had seen him before as Jack continued ranting. "I-I'm sorry, doctor. My friend…he's a little delusional after…"

The doctor nodded understandingly. "Oh, I see. Well, the only solution for cases such as this would be sleep." He removed a syringe from his left pocket and approached Jack with it, injecting the fluid inside through his right arm. After some time, Jack's ranting slowed down, and he drifted back into unconsciousness. "There. He should be out for at least a few hours now. When he wakes up, he won't be so aggressive."

Smith shook his head as he looked over the unconscious Jack. "He's gone totally mental. The poor bloke talks about being immortal and whatnot."

"Sounds like fairy tales brought on by delusions of grandeur." The doctor implied; he nodded to Jack's clothes, which hung in the nearby closet. "Look at the way he dresses. He must believe he's the Red Baron or some type of hero he's seen in too many World War II movies."

Smith chuckled, nodding in agreement with the doctor's diagnosis. Again, as he looked to him, he gained a sense of familiarity. "I'm sorry, but…have we met somewhere before? I just…I have this silly notion that we've known each other for the longest time."

The short-statured doctor shrugged. "I moved here just a few days ago."

"Huh." Smith muttered, giving up completely on guessing and instead shaking hands with the new citizen. "Well, it's always nice to meet a new face. Name's John Smith."

The doctor smiled while shaking Smith's hand. "I'm Alder Dorm."

"Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Dorm." Smith's digital wristwatch began to beep, and he was quickly reminded of the task he set out to do before Jack intervened. "Oh, god. I need to get going. Thank you for taking care of my friend."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Smith. He's in good hands."

"Brilliant. Thank you."

Dorm watched the young man as he dashed out of the hospital room. The smile on his face slowly faded into a deep scowl that would have been directed towards Smith had he remained in the room at the time of the shift. Dorm directed his scowling face to the unconscious Jack Harkness, focusing on the bandaged side of his abdomen. Slowly and carefully, Dorm peeled back the bandage to expose Jack's tended wound; however, rather than a swollen, red, stitched-up wound, there was just plain, flawless skin that matched with the rest of Jack's body. His wound was perfectly healed and gave the impression that the immortal captain had not been shot at all.

After inspecting the miraculously healed area, Dorm grinned and covered it back up with the bandage and uttered to the unconscious Jack, "It'll be our little secret, Jack…well, mostly _my_ secret."


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Doctor and Tracker**

When the Doctor agreed to help Red with her "wolf situation," he did not anticipate her and Snow _actually_ going with him and River to track the beast down. A half an hour out in the woods and Red was already becoming bothersome as he scanned certain footprints that he found in the snow with the sonic screwdriver. Red informed the Doctor right away of what type of creature made the prints, giving him zero opportunity of glimpsing over the readouts on the sonic. Just as he found a pair of footprints that looked like a wolf's, Red suddenly said before he even had a chance to scan, "That's a…"

"OK, that is becoming slightly annoying." The Doctor blurted out in aggravation.

Red jumped in alarm from the tone of his voice. Seeing how aggravated he was, River stepped in to calm him. "Relax, love. She's only helping."

After taking a deep breath, the Doctor nodded in acceptance of this and returned his focus on the prints in the snow. River glanced at Red, who looked upon the Doctor with concerned eyes, and grew a bit curious. "So what _really_ possessed you to come with us on this search?"

Before answering River, Red quickly looked to Snow, who appeared a bit agitated the entire time they were out there. "We just…want to help." Her answer (and the quick look she gave Snow) made River a little suspicious, although she would not press on about it any further for the sake of their current business out in the woods.

Meanwhile, the Doctor continued to come across prints from other various woodland creatures until he finally found ones that were much bigger. Taking a quick scan of these prints, the Doctor afterward checked the readouts, a mixture of delight and surprise emerging on his face. "We've found it!" The others soon approached, seeing the footprints that he found.

Snow's eyes grew wide. "T-That's our wolf?"

"It certainly is!" The Doctor joyously exclaimed while fiddling with the sonic screwdriver. "Now to just _ad_just the sonic's settings to center on our wolf by tracking his prints."

Watching the Doctor work, Red began to feel a little insignificant. "You know, Doctor…I'm a _very_ good tracker. I can find where the wolf is much faster than…"

"I appreciate the assistance, Red, but it won't be needed." He hardly looked her way while focusing on the sonic screwdriver and following in the direction that it led him to. "Now then, onward ho!"

Red disapprovingly sighed, following the Doctor with Snow and River in tow. Although River was somewhat delighted over how he was blowing off Red's attempts to help, she could not help but to feel a bit sad for the young woman – she _was_ only trying to help after all. But River knew that the Doctor worked best _without_ much assistance, so she allowed him to do what he had to do in finding the wolf.

The group moved in the directions that the sonic screwdriver and the wolf's footprints were leading them in for a couple of minutes before reaching a point in the tracks that made the alien device short circuit – at least that's what the Doctor believed it to be doing. Smacking it a few times, he bellowed, "Blimey! What is it with this thing? Just when I have it on 'wolf,' it changes to 'human'!"

River, Red, and Snow looked to the ground and spotted the reason behind the sonic screwdriver's sudden "malfunction." "Erm…Doctor? You might want to look to the ground again."

The Doctor did as Snow suggest and looked, discovering how the tracks to follow after the wolf's contained a peculiar design to them. Crouching down to get a closer look, the Doctor realized that the new set of tracks was half wolf and half human (the human side appearing more like a boot print). Astonishment registered on the Doctor's face as he began to see what type of creature they were dealing with. "It's Scotland 1879 all over again."

"What?" River queried, barely catching what the Doctor muttered.

"We're not dealing with a wolf." The Doctor clarified. "We're dealing with a _were_wolf."

Puzzled from this revelation, Snow asked, "What is a…werewolf?"

"A man that starts out a man, bitten by a wolf, and then turns into a wolf under a full moon." The Doctor rapidly explained.

Catching on, Red reacted with surprise. "Oh, Gods! I think I know of such a creature! There's a story I heard once…during Wolfstime, on a full moon…"

"Later, Red." The Doctor insisted. "Right now, we need to continue following these tracks to find out _where_ this man-who-becomes-a-wolf lives." He then hurriedly followed the remaining tracks, leaving behind a disgruntled Red.

"Is he deliberately ignoring me?" Red wondered aloud.

River tried her best to hold off smiling. "It's what he does, dear."

* * *

><p>The boot prints that the Doctor followed through the snow led him and the women back to the cottage. Stopping near the home of Granny and Red, the Doctor stood in shock to see how the tracks led to one of the windows. Snow, Red, and River were just as surprised to see where they ultimately ended up. "Who's gone to your window, Red?" Snow asked.<p>

Red's mouth gaped open; the horror on her face showed as realization set in. Snow saw this and realized herself who it was. "Is it Peter? Has Peter been to your window?"

The Doctor, for the first time since they set out on the expedition, focused his attention solely on Red. "Who's Peter?" Red could barely answer him in the state of shock she was in. The Doctor had to depend on the passionate gaze that River directed at him to make the connection. Nodding understandingly, the Doctor muttered, "Oh…I see."

"Last night," Red finally managed to say, "before the killings, he never joined in to hunt the wolf."

Snow shook her head in rejection. "I'm sure that he wouldn't have killed…"

"_He_ wouldn't!" Red fervently exclaimed. "But when the wolf takes over…"

"There's a hunting party going out tonight." River reminded everyone.

Red's eyes widened in alarm. "They're gonna kill him…or he's gonna kill _them_."

"Then you have to stay away from him." The Doctor asserted, much to the scare of the three women accompanying him. "If he's the werewolf, then you should do as your grandmother says and _stay_ inside this very night."

"She can't do that." Snow contradicted. "She _loves_ him. If anything, she should go to him and tell him…_warn_ him!"

"It'll be dark soon." The Doctor indicated. "We can't risk it."

Red angrily advanced on the Doctor. "You know, all my life, I've been told what to do…been treated like a child. I don't need _anyone_ telling me what to do _anymore_."

"Red, you _need_ to listen to me." The Doctor demanded. "I forbid you to see Peter tonight!"

His command made Red chuckle amusingly. "Wow. You _really_ sound like my grandmother. Why is it when I begin to trust you again you give me another reason _not_ to?" On this question, she walked away from the Doctor, returning to the cottage. Snow quickly followed after her, leaving the Doctor alone with River.

Dejected, the Doctor watched her and Snow angrily go inside the cottage. "It's been a long time since something like that has happened."

River snickered. "C'mon, sweetie. You've had plenty lose trust in you. You'll get hers back once she sees you're only trying to save her."

"I meant it's been a long time since someone's related me to a grandparent."


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Key**

The "apology gift" that Regina had given Henry was beginning to lose its value, especially considering that it _was_ an "apology gift" and not with much sentimentality attached to it. What mattered most to Henry recently was a certain mysterious item that he discovered in the "Once Upon A Time" storybook, serving as a bookmark of sorts, before he loaned it to Emma. Reaching in the drawer that sat beside his bed, he pulled the item out through the chain linked to it. As the item rose from the shadows of the drawer, it suddenly sparkled under the light of the sun that shined through Henry's bedroom window.

The item appeared to have been some sort of key, but Henry did not know to what. The bizarre, decorative symbol engraved in its structure seemed to have implied an alien origin; and Henry knew of only one particular alien capable of owning the key. He smiled upon looking at the key that he let dangle in front of him, but that smile soon faded just as he heard Regina's furious voice bellowing throughout the house. As if in reaction of hearing his mother's voice, Henry hastily placed the key around his neck, hiding it under his shirt, and rushed out of his bedroom to see what the matter was.

Crossing his mother's bedroom, Henry saw that she was on the phone; the furious tone in her voice switched to one suitable for indoors. "No, Sidney. I don't want you to do a thing until I've gotten to the bottom of this. We _need_ to find a way to cover up Kathryn's return, or else rumors will start…and you-know-who will be the one to start them." She then angrily hung up her cell phone and started moving out of her room.

Henry saw her coming his way and quickly rushed back to his room and closed the door quietly, making it look as if he had not heard the conversation she just had. When he lied back down on his bed, Regina knocked his door a few times. "Come in."

Regina opened the door and popped her upper body into the room, addressing Henry in a stern tone. "Henry, I have to go out for a little. Do _not_ leave this house under _any_ circumstances while I'm gone. Understand?"

"Understood." Henry confirmed, and he waited for her to shut the door again before he let a big, wide smile grow on his face. Kathryn Nolan was alive, which meant that the Evil Queen's attempts in ruining the life of Snow White (Mary Margaret) had been thwarted once again; most importantly, it meant that Emma had a perfect opportunity in breaking the curse once and for all.

But there was still hope with the Doctor, and if the key that Henry found in the storybook was any consolation, then it could be the _only_ key (figuratively and literally speaking) to breaking the curse. The only question was what the key was supposed to open…a box, a car, a door…

And then it hit Henry…

_The TARDIS!_

**24 Hours Later…**

When August W. Booth requested for Henry to meet him near Mr. Gold's shop to discuss a plan that involved distracting Gold long enough for August to sneak in the back and look for something, Henry could not have seen a better time to execute his own plan. He knew that Mr. Gold had the police box (the TARDIS) stored in the shop, and the only way to see if the key left in the book was the one for it. With his key kept safely around his neck, he met up with August right outside Mr. Gold's shop. As he met up with him, he saw John Smith across the street, conversing with Ruby, who was still visibly shaken after finding Kathryn Nolan in the alley outside Granny's Diner.

"You all set?" August asked Henry. "You know what to do?"

"Operation Cobra is always ready." Henry confidently said. "I just…"

August saw the hint of hesitation on his face. "You just what?"

"I don't understand what this has to do with getting Emma to believe."

"Sometimes other priorities assert themselves." August explained. "Can you handle a little improvisation?"

Henry smirked. "Yeah. Can you?"

August returned his smirk and patted him on the back. "We're a go."

With this confirmation, Henry crossed the street and headed into Mr. Gold's through the front door, while August went in from the back. Upon entering the shop, the bell above the door jingled, alerting Mr. Gold of Henry's presence. He stepped right out from the back and appeared behind the counter, giving August a perfect chance for sneaking in unnoticed. As Mr. Gold appeared, Henry spotted the police box at the corner of his eye, seeing it positioned near the shop entrance.

"Hey, Mr. Gold."

"Good morning, Henry. What can I do for you?"

"I want to get a gift for Ms. Blanchard…since she didn't kill that woman."

Gold nodded understandingly. "Oh, I see. Good thinking."

Henry pointed to a section of a nearby shelf and asked, "Are these bells?" He went to the most reachable bell on the shelf – a shiny silver one with a long handle – and he jingled it, feigning excitement. "Cool."

"See anything you fancy?"

"It should be something special, like…this bell."

"You're asking a lot from a bell."

"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Certainly. I believe so. Everything has sentimental value, right?"

"_Some_ things do." Henry jingled the bell again, hearing how well it carried a tune. "This one's good. How much?"

"The price is on the back."

Henry checked the back of the bell for the price, smiling over how agreeable it was. "Oh, wow. I have just enough for it." He reached in his pocket and took out his wallet, handing the money over to Gold, who put it in the old fashioned cash register sitting on the front counter and returned Henry his change. After putting the bell in a box for Henry, he voiced his gratitude, which sounded a bit ironic. "Thanks, Mr. Gold. You've been a _big_ help."

"Glad to be of service, Henry. You have a nice day."

Henry watched as Mr. Gold went to the back and hoped that he gave August enough time to accomplish what he set out to do. With Mr. Gold out of the picture, Henry set out on his own mission, centering his attention on the police box near the shop entrance. As Henry approached it, he heard Mr. Gold talking in the back, assuming that he caught August. Becoming more urgent in his mission, Henry immediately removed the key from his neck and inserted it into the keyhole on the right door of the police box.

Before turning the key and opening the door, Henry closed his eyes and hoped that what he was about to do would _actually_ work; he knew that it was a long shot, but he did not care, if it meant saving the Doctor from the curse. When Henry finally did turn the key and slowly open the door, the first thing he saw was bright light shimmering through the cracks. He swallowed hard; his heart was beating rapidly with excitement. Opening the door further, Henry's eyes grew as wide as the smile on his face upon witnessing a _very_ familiar sight within the police box…or TARDIS as it should be more _appropriately_ named.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Hunt Is On**

"Are you certain that I can't change your minds to stay?" Granny asked.

The Doctor and River were just about to start preparing for bed when she approached with this question. "Yes…No…Both," answered the Doctor. "You _could_ change our minds, but we'd still have to insist on leaving first thing in the morning."

"Yes, we must find our 'magic box' as soon as possible." River added, smiling at the Doctor upon uttering the term "magic box."

Granny sighed. "Well, I'll definitely miss your company. It's been a long time since we've had guests like you around here. I think even Red had started to warm up to you especially, Doctor." After making that statement, she saw the look of despair on his face and sympathized with him. "I'm certain Red will forgive you for being protective of her. In fact, I commend you for telling her what I've been saying all along about going out at night, even to see that young ruffian of hers."

"I should probably tell her 'goodbye,' if I happen not to see her in the morning." The Doctor suggested.

A smile emerged on Granny's face. "I'll go with you, in case she starts up a fuss again." She then led the Doctor and River into Red's room, finding her resting in bed with her red hood draped over her body and obscuring her face. As they entered the room, the first odd thing Granny noticed was Mary's absence. "Where's Mary?" Red did not answer, prompting Granny to approach her bed. "Come on, girl. Get over this fuss of yours. The Doctor's leaving in the morning, and I need you to help bar up the doors. If Mary's not back by now, she best take her chances."

When Granny forced Red to turn her body to face her, it was not Red's face that was looking at Granny – it was Snow White's (_Mary's_) guilt-ridden face. "She's in no danger," Snow quickly and calmly assured her.

Granny was obviously shocked to see Snow in Red's place, but there appeared to be another reason for her reaction in the horrified way she asked Snow, "What have you done? Where is she?"

"No, it's okay. She's with Peter." Snow informed. "I know you don't like him, but that's really beside the point."

"You stupid, careless, ridiculous girl!" Granny scolded.

Surprised from her words, Red sat up and eyed both Granny and the Doctor, who both looked none too pleased. "No. You don't understand." She was more trying to convince Granny than the Doctor, since the latter was the one against Red leaving in the first place. "This is just going to be difficult to accept, but you're gonna have to trust me."

"Trust is _earned_, not forced!" The Doctor exclaimed. "And if you and Red both _trusted_ me, then Peter's life wouldn't be in danger right now!"

Snow blinked rapidly in surprise and confusion. "What?"

Granny had the same reaction towards what the Doctor said. "You mean you've known this whole time?"

The Doctor sheepishly looked down. "Yes. I wanted to tell her, but…"

"Wait. Tell me what's going on." Snow demanded.

The Doctor stared at Snow long and hard before he finally said, "Peter's not the wolf…Red is." His revelation stirred mixed feelings in Snow; he knew that she would ask for a further explanation, but he knew there was no time in giving one. "We need to get out there right now and find them both. Let's just hope Peter's a fast runner, once he sees _what_ she really is."

"She has him tied up." Snow blurted out, much to the immediate alarm of everyone.

"Granny! Get your cloak!" The Doctor brazenly exclaimed.

* * *

><p>With the sonic screwdriver leading their path as both a flashlight and detector for tracks Red left in her wolf form, the Doctor rushed through the forest with Granny, Snow, and River following close behind. Snow was still trying to process the fact that Red was the werewolf the entire time. "How can <em>she<em> be the wolf?"

"Her mother was one, too, before a hunting party killed her." Granny revealed. "I thought Red didn't get it, but it wasn't until she was thirteen when it started."

"And you bought her a magic cloak to wear to keep her from turning from a wizard named Rumple…"

"_Don't_ say his name!" Granny warned the Doctor. "How the hell do you know so much about us, Doctor? Is that the reason why Red distrusts you so much?"

The Doctor stopped and turned to her, seeming as if he was going to give her a direct answer; however, he was stopped by the call of a wolf nearby. Directing his sonic screwdriver in the direction of the wolf call, the Doctor soon realized how close they were to where Red and Peter should be. He attempted to inform the others of his findings, but Granny appeared to be one step ahead of him with her crossbow ready.

"Granny! Wait!" The Doctor cried. "There's…"

"I don't need your magic wand to tell me Red's here, Doctor." Granny retorted. "I used to be a wolf myself…and even though I've lost the power to turn, I still carry enough powerful senses to track." Indicating her crossbow, she added, "A silver-tipped arrow _will_ drop her."

Snow slightly squealed, but Granny shushed her immediately. The Doctor was beyond surprised to see how intense Granny was, even sharing his reactions to River. "I never expected this version to be so…is 'hardcore' the right word?"

"Do you people have trouble grasping the concept of stealth? Be quiet." The others did as they were told while Granny started to lead them. "We're approaching from downwind so we _have_ a chance. Doctor, you'll probably want to extinguish the light from your wand."

Following her command, the Doctor shut off the sonic, which put the group in the dark and kept them shadowed (just the way Granny preferred). Slowly, they moved out into a large clearing and found a _very_ large wolf chomping down on what appeared to be the carcass of a human being. The sight was deeply sickening to Snow, who did her best not to cry out, gasp, or make any other sounds that would draw attention to the wolf. Unfortunately, Snow did not count on the twig that lied in her path as she stepped on it with a loud _snap_.

The wolf clearly heard the sound of the twig snapping and turned its attention to the party that was "hunting" her. Immediately, the wolf lunged their way, but Granny's lighting quick reflexes saved them, unleashing the silver-tipped arrow from her crossbow and striking the wolf. The wolf dropped fast and hard in the snow, landing right at their feet. As soon as the creature was unconscious, Granny called to Snow, "Cloak!"

Snow swiftly removed Red's cloak from herself and placed it over the body of the wolf. The Doctor looked over to the human carcass that the wolf had been chewing prior to their arrival, knowing exactly who it belonged to. "Peter…we were too late." Hearing this, the others looked to Peter's remains in despair.

"Too late for what?" They looked down to where the cloaked wolf once was, seeing Red emerge from beneath it.

The Doctor and Granny helped the dazed Red get to her feet all while Granny sternly instructed to her, "Get up, girl. And get ready to run."

"Please, Red. Do as she says." The Doctor encouraged, trying to keep her from seeing Peter's remains behind her.

"No…wait…what's going…?" Red tried to gather herself, noticeably fighting to find out what was happening. "Where's Peter?"

"Never mind, girl. Don't you hear them coming?" Through her heightened senses, Red heard what her grandmother heard – and soon what they all heard: **the hunting party approaching**.

River became unsettled from the nearby sound. "If they find us in this spot with the boy's remains…"

"Remains?" Red cried with perplexity and distress.

The Doctor shot River a cold stare for her blunder, while trying to keep Red from turning around. His attempts were futile; Red turned and saw Peter's remains scattered and attached to the tree that she bound him to, believing _him_ to have been the wolf. While she stared with wide eyes, she heard the voice of the Doctor say to her from behind, "Peter wasn't the wolf, Red…_you_ were."

Looking away from the remains, the distraught Red looked to the Doctor and then to her grandmother. "Granny…you knew?"

Granny seemed prepared to accept the blame for not informing her of her "situation," but the Doctor spoke up first. "_I_ knew." Her focus centered back on him, just as he intended it to. "I was the _only_ one that knew the whole time I've ever known you. Your transformations are the reason why I could never take you with me."

Granny, River, and Snow were surprised by how willfully the Doctor accepted the blame. Red stared upon him with mixed emotions. "You knew?"

"I'm sorry."

"You knew!"

Anger and betrayal immediately took over as Red charged at the Doctor and began to slap him repeatedly. The Doctor did not retaliate, accepting every blow Red gave him. It only took the power of Snow White to tear her away from him. Tears poured from Red's eyes; she wept uncontrollably while Snow tried her best to comfort her. Hearing the hunting party grow closer and even seeing their torches through the trees, Granny urged Snow, "Go now! Take her away from here _now_!"

Snow acknowledged her instruction and led the despondent Red away into the forest, heading in the opposite direction of the hunting party. After all that just happened, the Doctor deduced, "We have to get away, too."

Granny nodded. "That'd be for the best, Doctor." She then added with a hint of gratification, "And what you did there with Red…I…thank you."

The Doctor smiled. "She has your _full_ trust now. Watch her…protect her."

"I will." Granny confirmed. "Now, go!"

River and the Doctor quickly departed from the glade, disappearing into the forest just as the hunting party arrived. Granny glimpsed over Peter's remains once again, preparing herself for whatever suspicions or questions that would come her way because of the boy's unexpected death.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Big Surprise**

Lately, it felt to John Smith like he and Ruby had grown much closer to each other, especially following her discovery of the alive and well Kathryn Nolan outside of Granny's. Smith would never forget the day that event occurred – he was sitting in the diner that fateful Saturday afternoon, and he and Ruby were discussing plans to vacation together in Nepal to look at lemurs (the exotic animals that she heard about from August W. Booth) when Ruby stepped outside for a moment to take out the garbage. As soon as Smith heard her scream, he ran out to find her terrified out of her wits; had August and Emma not been near the area, he would have had his hands full between calming her and discovering Kathryn.

Ever since that moment and the fact Smith seemed to be always there for her when she needed him, the two had fallen into a deep, intimate relationship. It was only a matter of time when Smith would get the courage to ask Ruby to marry him. He imagined the moment of the proposal happening possibly in Nepal – there he and Ruby would be, looking at the lemurs, and then Smith would get down on one knee and say, "Ruby, will you marry me?" And then she would say…

"Hey, Mr. Smith!"

The overenthusiastic voice of Henry Mills brought Smith out of his fantasy as he realized that he was standing beside him outside of Granny's. "Oh, 'ello, Henry. Um…I didn't say anything in particular out loud, did I?"

"You mean other than 'Ruby, will you marry me?'"

Smith frowned. "I suppose the cat's now out of the bag."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you have plans. It'll be our little secret."

Smith sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Henry."

"But you'll probably forget all about it after the big surprise I have for you inside the diner."

"Big surprise? What big surprise?"

"You'll see. Follow me."

Smith curiously did as Henry requested and followed him inside the diner, the bell jingling as they entered. The diner was partially busy that morning with just a few patrons being served by Ruby. Smith saw her particularly serving Leon his daily breakfast at the counter; as soon as she saw him enter with Henry, she looked his way and waved by wiggling her fingers. Smith grinned and waved back in the same motion; but as he had done so, someone near him did not hold back in criticizing his gesture.

"I see the small town life has you turning into a lovesick puppy."

Startled by the new voice addressing him, Smith looked to his left to see the speaker. Sitting at a booth closest to the door were two unfamiliar faces – a young Scottish redhead (the one who criticized him) and a young, dense-looking man with a nose that appeared rather large to Smith. The young man was the one who then pointed to Smith and said in an English accent, "T-That's him!"

The young man's comment prompted Smith to turn around to see if anyone else had entered; but, alas, the young man was referring to him. Pointing to himself, Smith inquired, "Me?"

The redhead then got up from the booth and admired Smith's attire. "I must say…you've _certainly_ made yourself over nicely. And you've _finally_ ditched that stupid bowtie." She stroked his tie while complimenting, unknowingly making Smith a little uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, but…who the hell are you?" Smith asked.

"Oh, don't be like that, fussy pants." The redhead remarked. "You think that running away and hiding yourself in the land of confusion would throw us off your scent? You could've at least called or somethin' after fakin' your death. Instead, we had to have a kid call us and tell us where you've been all these months."

The young Englishman then said to Henry, who the redhead was obviously referring to, "She doesn't mean any offense by that."

"None taken." Henry said with a smile. "I'm just glad you guys actually came."

"Wait. Henry, _you_ called these crazies here?" Smith questioned in surprise.

"Crazies?" The redhead exclaimed. "You leave for almost a year and _now_ you pretend that you don't even _know_ us?"

Smith was almost becoming furious. "That's because I _don't_ know you!" His genuine frustration took the redhead and her friend by surprise as they realize that he was telling the truth. "I've never met you people in my entire life. And if I had, I would've certainly had _you_ committed for your _abrasive_ behavior." He pointed directly to the redhead upon making that comment. "Henry, if this is the 'big surprise' you promised me, then I've _really_ expected better from you. Bringing _foreign_ strangers into town for…for…Blimey, why _did_ you bring them here?"

Henry was about to answer before Ruby appeared, carrying a coffee pot and a look of concern. "John?" She glimpsed over the two strangers in the diner until centering on Smith and asking, "Is everything alright?"

Smith calmed himself to speak to the woman he loved. "Everything's fine, Ruby." He faked a smile as he gestured between Henry and the two strangers and added, "Henry was just introducing me to some new friends of his that he met on the Internet. Their names are…are…what did you say they were, Henry?"

Henry sighed. "Amy and Rory Williams."

Smith snapped his fingers, continuing to feign joyfulness. "That's it. Amy and Roy Williams." He failed to catch the mistake he made in pronouncing Rory's name. Rory even attempted to correct him, but Smith's mouth was too quick to give him a chance. "They've come across the pond, just to see Henry."

Ruby smiled, shaking hands with the foreign couple, who were still shocked by how much Smith had changed. "It's nice to meet you." She only gave them a second of attention before focusing on Smith. "John, do you want me to get your breakfast ready?"

"Uh, I'm afraid I've wasted too much time talking to eat this morning." Smith answered. "But I _promise_ I'll stop by during lunch." The way in which he made his promise made it sound as if he was referring to something else other than food, which threw Amy and Rory off a bit.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later then."

"Bye, babe."

Smith and Ruby shared a brief, passionate kiss on the lips – an action that amazed and appalled Rory and Amy – before he left the diner and she went back to work. Amy and Rory looked out the window as Smith departed, seeing someone they were once well-acquainted with having turned into another man completely. "That _can't_ be the Doctor," said Rory. "It has to be someone that _looks_ like him, right?"

"It's the curse." Henry indicated, drawing Amy and Rory's attention back over to him. "The Doctor got himself and the TARDIS trapped in the storybook world in trying to help me break the curse, and now he's part of it like everyone else." He then brought the couple back over to their booth, taking the "Once Upon A Time" book out of his bag and setting it on the table to open it up. Amy and Rory looked on intently as they watched Henry flip through several pages of the oversized book, until he stopped on one and showed it to them. "See? This is a new part that I read this morning."

Amy and Rory saw a detailed illustration on the page that depicted the Doctor confronting a wolf with Granny, Snow White, and another familiar character. Pointing to that one familiar character on the page, Rory asked in wide-eyed disbelief, "Is that…River?"

"Who else do you know with hair that frizzy?" Amy jested.

"That means River's here, too." Rory deduced. "If the Doctor's been taken by the curse, then she must've been as well."

"Not exactly." Henry uttered. "I re-read some parts a few days ago to see what happened to her after she showed up in the story. She makes it out before the curse reaches…but the Doctor doesn't."

Amy and Rory exchanged a brief suspecting glance.

"She's still got to be here." Amy knowingly stated. "River loves the Doctor. She'd _never_ give up searching for him, if she knew he was missing."

"But he's _not_ missing." Rory said. "I mean, we've just found the Doctor."

"Yeah, despite the fact that he has no clue he _is_ the Doctor, stupid-face." Amy quickly contradicted. "We've gotta break this curse and get back that raggedy man we know and love back to the land of the living."

Henry smirked. "The only way that'll happen is if we get one person to believe in the curse."

Rory nodded understandingly. "Good. Who is it?"

The bell above the entrance jingled again, encouraging Amy and Rory to turn and see Emma Swan walk in. Looking back to Henry, they saw a huge smile on the little boy's face as he stared at Emma; this clued the couple in on the fact that Emma was the "one person" that Henry was talking about.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty: Stranded**

The Doctor and River had wished they went back to Granny's to retrieve their horses while they were traveling through the forest on foot all night long. The morning sun had risen from the horizon, providing them with some light to guide their way. River did not want to tell the Doctor that she was starting to become weary from the long walk, mostly because the curiosity of what the Doctor had done earlier in front of Red strengthened her to refuse rest of any kind. She could have told the Doctor that she needed to stop, which would have been a perfect excuse for getting him to confess his true intent.

As soon as the sun started to gleam over her eyes, River felt encouraged to ask. "Why did you do what you did back there?"

For a brief moment, the Doctor acted as if he had not heard what River asked. "Beg your pardon?"

"The way you accepted blame for Red's misinformation about the wolf." River reminded him, although the Doctor did not need much of a reminder, seeing that the moment kept replaying in his mind. "She's her grandmother's responsibility…not yours. You had the right moment to earn her trust and now…"

"It wouldn't have made a bit of difference had I not have said anything, River." He sharply turned to her when making his retort. "The way she looked at me the first time I saw her…there was a feeling that I hadn't felt in such a long time."

The way he talked about the experience gave River mixed feelings. "Are you saying that…you were in love with her?"

"No," the Doctor quickly answered. "It's just…" He then looked all around him as if he was admiring the scenery. "This place…I've been to many worlds…I've seen many things…I've overcome many emotions…but I've _never_ been able to overcome what _this_ place has been doing to me. There's a reason that the TARDIS doesn't want me to leave here."

"Doctor, we _don't_ belong in this world. We…" She stopped just as she noticed the Doctor focusing on something behind her. "Are you listening to me?" She got her answer as he walked right by her, clearly inattentive.

Her gaze following his movement, River soon saw what had attracted him: **the TARDIS**. It was standing on a hill in a nearby clearing, illuminated under the morning sun like a beacon of hope. The Doctor laughed hysterically as he approached the TARDIS; he reacted to its appearance like someone who was reunited with a long lost friend. River smiled with delight while following him to it. The Doctor kissed every side of the big blue box and even hugged it from all sides. "Ah! You beautiful thing, you! I've missed you ever so!"

River laughed. "I suppose all that talk just a while ago has gone out the window."

The Doctor grinned, admitting the foolishness he had expressed at the time; he removed the key to the TARDIS from his coat and opened the door. He gestured for River to enter first, which she affably did. As he watched River enter the TARDIS, the Doctor stopped and looked around the forest for what he believed would be the last time; the sense of joy he got from seeing his TARDIS again melted into despair. He was going to abandon this enchanted world that he discovered and fell in love with by accident.

_It really is love_, the Doctor thought, _but is it with this world…or with Red?_

The Doctor did not want to ponder any longer on the subject; instead, he turned and made his way inside the TARDIS. However, just as he placed one foot inside, a massive gust of wind came from nowhere and blew him away from the door. The Doctor tumbled down the hill and landed at the foot of it with a hard _thud_. Dazed and confused, he looked back up the hill to see the door to the TARDIS close, shutting him out once again. What shocked the Doctor even more was seeing the TARDIS dematerialize without him in it.

"No, no, no!" He cried while fighting to get up the hill to reach the TARDIS, hoping to make it to the door before…

_VWOORMP! VWOORMP! VWOORMP!_

It was gone.

The Doctor stood in devastation of what had happened – he had become stranded on the very world that he once admired with passion…and River was no longer with him. The only thing he had left was his sonic screwdriver and the key to the TARDIS, which had become just what it looked like – an ordinary key.


	32. Chapter Thirty One

**Chapter Thirty-One: Bring Me a Dream**

It was not turning out to be a good morning for Regina Mills. Above having one of the worst nightmares that she had not had in a long time, her tree was beginning to die, which was clearly a sign that things were not going her way – not with Emma Swan still around Storybrooke. Furiously, Regina left home with one of the rotten apples plucked from her dying tree and went into town to stop by Mr. Gold's shop. As she entered the shop, an unsettling sensation overtook her; it was the same feeling she had during her nightmare. Looking to her left, she saw Dr. Alder Dorm standing in front of the police box, which he appeared to be "inspecting" just as Regina walked in.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Regina harshly questioned him.

"You'll have to be more specific." Dorm said.

"The nightmare I had last night!" Regina snapped. "Swan…Henry…Mary Margaret…the _entire_ town…tying me up to a rotten apple tree and cutting my throat with a sword! You put it all in my head!"

Dorm snickered. "Now why would I do a thing like that, _Your Majesty_? We both know that I am incapable of using magic in this world."

"What you possess is _not_ magic! It is _alien_!"

Her words silenced him for a brief moment until he responded calmly. "I see. Well, I suppose that makes me unique…that is, _one_ of the unique." He slightly stroked the police box as he added the ambiguous part of his statement.

Regina darted her eyes away from Dorm and towards Gold, who casually stood behind the corner, conducting his business. "I'm beginning to regret you ever _plucking_ this little man from the Doctor's head in the first place," she told Gold.

"It was _your_ idea, Your Majesty." Gold reminded her.

"All of the knowledge the Doctor possessed that threatened your plans…and here I am to epitomize them." Dorm arrogantly stated. "Unfortunately, you didn't count on the 'side effects' to the extraction."

Regina grinned, noticing the game that Dorm was playing. "Don't think for one second that you're the most powerful being in Storybrooke, _Doctor_."

Dorm smiled. "No, of course not. We all know who the _real_ powerful Doctor is in this town…unfortunately, he thinks he's a typical schoolteacher because of the curse you and Rumple conjured up."

"A curse that is currently weakening as we speak and it's all because of Emma." Regina indicated before advancing on Gold and adding, "But do _you_ care? No…you just go about doing…whatever it is that you're doing, while all my hard work _burns_."

"That's not all, is it?" Gold inquired, much to Regina's immediate confusion. "C'mon. Get it off your chest."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Regina admitted.

"Henry…Miss Swan _wants_ him." Gold clarified, and as soon as Regina heard this, she sighed in annoyance. "The curse was meant to take away Snow White and Prince Charming's happiness. Perhaps you giving up Henry is just the price to keep it unbroken."

Dorm smirked. "Now there's a big sacrifice."

"Don't you have an immortal man to be keeping watch over at the hospital?" Regina asked, obviously prompting Dorm in leaving the shop to allow Gold and Regina some time alone.

Knowing when he was not wanted, Dorm made his way towards the exit. "Very well. But just one more thing you should be wary of as your curse begins to dwindle, Your Majesty."

"And what would that be?" Regina queried.

"Henry has recently been 'recruiting' for breaking the curse, and he's obtained two more _friends_ of the Doctor…ones who, unlike Mr. Harkness, know of the face he carried before the curse took its effect on him."

Regina's aggravation with Dorm increased. "And this should concern me _why_?"

"The Doctor himself is powerful, but his friends are even more so." Dorm warned. "I wouldn't be surprised if they went through drastic measures to get him back to his old self…and they _will_." Seeing the look of dissatisfaction on her face was enough for Alder Dorm leave with a huge smile upon his own; the warning had been given – how Regina dealt with it was all on her.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

**Chapter Thirty-Two: A Good Man Goes Back to War**

"Are we sure that we can trust him?"

Snow had been focusing through her telescope upon hearing Grumpy. "Have you not heard the stories of the things he's done across many lands? Many kingdoms? This is the Doctor we're putting our hopes on."

"Which is exactly the reason why I'm asking if we're sure he can be trusted!" Grumpy countered. "This guy left me in the same dungeon where Charming is right now. I'm just saying – what if he decides…"

Already clued in on what Grumpy was going to say before it escaped his mouth, Snow looked away from her telescope and sternly at him. "I've seen the Doctor do enough good deeds these past months to know he'll _never_ be capable of something that evil. He gave me his word…even crossed his heart…"

"_Both_ of them?" Grumpy queried.

"Both of them." Snow confirmed.

Accompany Snow and Grumpy were Widow Lucas ("Granny") and the other six dwarves, each of them brandishing weapons in preparation for battle. "The Doctor knows of those metal men King George replaced most of his soldiers with," Granny informed Grumpy. "From what I've heard, they _aren't_ human…I don't even think they're of this world."

Snow glanced through the telescope again, focusing on the wall surrounding the kingdom they were targeting. "If we're going to get Charming out, we're going to have to get over that wall." She saw a couple of Cybermen cross upon the wall itself. "The metal men are there…on every parapet."

The group suddenly heard the leaves from nearby bushes rustle and aimed at the foliage with caution. After a brief moment, Red stepped out of the bushes, holding her arms up in protest. "Don't shoot. It's only me."

Lowering their weapons, the team sighed in relief while Grumpy noticed something peculiar about Red's face. "Uh, Red? You know you got some_one_ on your chin."

Red rubbed the hint of blood off from the area that Grumpy indicated – a clear result of the scouting mission that Snow had sent her on. "What were you able to find out, Red?" Snow asked once Red cleaned herself up some.

"The Doctor was right. There are _many_ of those metal men around. I was only able to take out as many _human_ soldiers as I could find to give the Doctor time enough to get in." Red updated before focusing solely on Snow and adding, "Your prince is still alive."

Snow was pleased by the news, yet she was still perturbed by the look on Red's face as she gave it. "So why do you look happy?"

"Because I also heard word the Queen is here." Red stated to the displeasure of Snow, Granny, and the dwarves.

"She knew I'd come for him." Snow quickly deduced.

"It's a trap." Granny cautioned.

"Indeed." Snow acknowledged. "It matters not. We can't turn back now…not with the Doctor still inside."

Grumpy groaned. "Does he even have a plan?"

"No," Red disdainfully answered, "but he did say something about a signal."

"What signal?" Grumpy asked.

_BOOM!_

The sound of an enormous explosion attracted their attention towards the castle just in time to see one of the walls collapse with the Cybermen still on. Both Cybermen and chunks of debris fell into twenty feet into the water below. Watching the explosion as it occurred, Snow and the others knew that it had to be the work of the Doctor. Snow grinned at the result and thought aloud, "It's an excessive signal, but a signal nonetheless." She then gathered her "army" and started leading them hastily to the castle.

* * *

><p>Many shopkeepers abandoned their posts, as well as other citizens of King George's kingdom, as soon as the explosion erupted at the nearby wall. Immediately responding to the chaos were a few of King George's soldiers and large quantity of Cybermen (his newest troops). They marched towards the cloud of smoke that billowed into the street; soon a figure emerged from it, covered from head to toe in soot, yet completely unharmed. Although the soldiers were unable to tell who the stranger was (even without the soot masking his face), the Cybermen instantly recognized him as the Doctor.<p>

"Blimey! It's incredible what you can do with gunpowder and a sonic! Am I right?" The Doctor said, clearly unfazed by the swords drawn at him or the Cybermen who were merely staring at him.

"In the name of King George, we are placing you under arrest!" The lead soldier declared.

"You will be deleted!" The lead Cyberman _also_ declared.

The Doctor glimpsed back and forth between the two leaders, whose orders appeared to be opposing one another; he saw the soldier glanced at the Cyberman from the corner of his eye with disconcert. "Well, which is it? Am I arrested or deleted? Obviously, King George failed in appointing a leader in your 'merry band' of misfits, didn't he? You all are more confused than rats in a maze."

"Confusion is an emotion, Doctor." The lead Cyberman enunciated.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the spill. Cybermen are incapable of emotion." The Doctor remarked. "But I assure you that you'd _wish_ to have one emotion in your little databanks as soon as you see the surprise I have."

"What emotion would that be, Doctor."

The Doctor paused for a moment before finally answering with one word: "Fear."

"You are belaying, Doctor."

"Am I? Well, we'll just see in three…two…one…"

_SLIPT!_

Whizzing right over the Doctor's head, an arrow had flown into the area and struck the lead Cyberman square in the chest, sending it falling to the ground with a loud metallic _thud_. The soldiers were taken by surprise, whereas the remaining Cybermen just stood where they were, appearing slightly perplexed (if possible). Soon the cry of an army arose from behind the Doctor and Snow White appeared with the seven dwarves. They engaged in battle with King George's soldiers and the Cybermen, the latter being the ones that took the most skill in defeating. Thanks to the Doctor, Snow and the dwarves knew the right weak spots to attack in with the Cybermen, striking at the heart with their pickaxes and dismantling every part of them.

As soon as the Cybermen went down, the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to nullify their suits in the event that they came alive and tried to assimilate Snow or the dwarves. It was not long before more of King George's _human_ soldiers appeared to back up their fallen comrades in overwhelming numbers. Quickly taking notice in them, the Doctor looked skyward and whistled loudly. Following on the whistle, an airborne army of fairies suddenly flew into the kingdom, their fluttering wings deafening the sounds from the battle and their sparkling bodies illuminating the area. The Doctor watched in extreme satisfaction as the fairies took down the oncoming soldiers with enough fairy dust to knock them out completely.

With the remaining soldiers of King George out, the Doctor discovered that he and the fairy tale army were able to disable the first half of security. "That's all of them," Snow told him.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not all – just this bunch. There'll be more waiting for us along the way."

"Then we should move before they catch us." Grumpy suggested.

"Agreed." The Doctor affirmed and then led the group down the street, continuing in the rescue of Prince Charming.


	34. Chapter Thirty Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Boy Who Waits**

"Archie Hopper."

"Captain Hook?"

"Wrong! He's Jiminy Cricket!"

Rory slightly snickered under the mouthful of toothpaste as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom. It was hard enough playing the game with Amy while he was doing so. Spitting out the toothpaste to give himself a moment to talk clearly, he told Amy, "He looked like the type who could've been a captain."

"With _two_ hands?" Amy said from outside the bathroom.

Rory took a moment to consider the fact after hearing it from Amy and nodded in acceptance of it. "Ok, so the psychiatrist is Jiminy Cricket, the mayor is the Evil Queen, and the waitress the Doctor's dating is Red Riding Hood…"

The bathroom door opened inward, slamming against Rory, as Amy frustratingly stuck her head in and said, "The Doctor's not dating her…_John Smith_ is!"

"Right. John Smith. The man that he _believes_ he is."

Amy stuck herself back out of the bathroom, allowing Rory to continue having his privacy, and glimpsed at the list of Storybrooke residents and their fairy tale counterparts that Henry had given her and Rory to follow. "So where were we? Ah, yes! Hansel and Gretel…"

Just when Rory was about to answer, there was a knock at the door. Amy groaned in aggravation, knowing that it was the inn owner (Granny) offering breakfast and housekeeping as she had the previous mornings they had been there. "For the last time, Granny, if we want bacon and eggs, we'll come down and get it ourselves." She went to the door and opened it, finding not Granny at her doorstep but a despondent Henry. "Hey, kid. Surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be at school or something."

Henry walked right into their room just as Rory was getting out of the bathroom with a white bathrobe on. "Operation Cobra is taking a pretty bad turn. Emma wants to leave Storybrooke and August is turning into wood."

The latter news brought out a surprised reaction from the couple. "Turning into wood?" Rory repeated Henry's words. "What…y-you mean he's…Pinocchio?"

"Apparently so." Henry confirmed.

"Congrats! You finally got _one_ right!" Amy told her husband, although the sincerity was mixed with sarcasm.

"August is out of the mission – I don't even think he's got very long left." Henry deduced.

Amy frowned. "You mean he's _dying_?"

Henry sighed with infuriation. "All of this would've been over with by now if the Doctor hadn't been sucked in by the curse. He would be so angry with me right now for failing like I am."

Amy could see how frustrated Henry was and knew that she had to say something right away to calm him. She walked up to Henry, knelt down to be at eye level with him, and said in assurance, "Hey, hey, now that is _not_ true. Kid, you're talkin' to someone who's known the Doctor since she was _your_ age. He _never_ gets angry with children. He makes sure they never give up on their hopes and keep movin' stronger than ever. If there's anything he would be right now, it's proud of you." Without even turning to Rory, she asked him, "Isn't that right, Rory?"

Her words were so powerful that even Rory almost did not realize she was addressing him. "Oh, uh, yeah. Everything _she_ said."

Henry smiled at the both of them. "Thanks." He then made his way back to the door while he informed them, "I'm gonna try and talk Emma in staying. She _needs_ to believe the fact she's everyone's only hope in getting their lives back."

Amy nodded. "Nice. What do you want us to do?"

"Go to the hospital and get Captain Jack Harkness back on his feet." Henry instructed. "We haven't lost _all_ of Operation Cobra yet."

Hearing the name, Rory wondered, "Captain Jack Harkness? Is he another cursed fairy tale character?"

Henry shook his head. "No…he's another friend of the Doctor's." Leaving them with their instruction, Henry exited their room and went to handle his own assignment. Amy intently watched him depart, not taking her eyes off the door even after he was gone.

Meanwhile, Rory was focused heavily on the name Henry gave them. "Captain Jack Harkness…okay, so he's someone _else_ the Doctor knows that's here. What do you think he does? Besides captaining, I suppose. What makes him special to the Doctor?" He soon noticed that he was talking to himself as Amy was still looking at the door he exited through. "Amy? Are you alright?"

"We can't let that boy down." She muttered before finally turning to face Rory. "The way he looks to the Doctor for help…it's the same way I looked to him before he left. He's the only one who really knows what's going on in a town full of idiots who have _no_ clue. Sound familiar?"

Rory grasped the association that she was making and did in fact see how much Henry's situation with the curse resembled hers with the Doctor; when no one believed her, she only had herself to depend on. "We're not going to let Henry down, Amy," Rory assured her.

"Damn right we aren't." Amy declared. "Now…let's go out and find this Captain Jack Harkness, shall we?"


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Deal with the Devil**

Following the DNA signature obtained from an arrow Snow removed from his shoulder before being captured by King George's men, the Doctor was able to use the sonic screwdriver as a tracking device to find Prince James's whereabouts in the castle. As expected, he and Snow discovered him to be held in the dungeon of King George's castle. At the moment Snow saw James in his cell, she was all prepared to go right to him and set him free; however, the Doctor quickly stopped her before she could have taken another step towards the cell. "What're you doing? That's Charming!" She tried to convince the Doctor.

The Doctor did not need the sonic screwdriver to tell him that something was amiss about the man who was in that cell. Without saying another word to Snow, he approached the cell himself and used the sonic to open the lock on the door. Stepping inside the cell, the Doctor smirked as he discovered exactly what he anticipated. Snow got closer and looked over the Doctor's shoulder, seeing the same shocking discovery: **Prince James's image in a standing mirror**.

The image of James could clearly see Snow and the Doctor, and he said despairingly, "I'm sorry."

"Charming." Snow said softly as she cried. "We were rescuing you."

James chuckled. "Snow." He then placed his hand against the glass that separated him from the woman he loved.

Snow approached the mirror and placed her hand on the glass where James's was. The Doctor watched the two in defeat, wishing there was something he could do; but the truth of the matter was that he could not, even if he tried. There was still much magic in the enchanted world he was trapped in that he yet to understand, and the Evil Queen's was the most powerful magic he had ever encountered. He continued to watch Snow and James promise each other that they would one day be reunited until the happy moment was disrupted by the sudden appearance of Queen Regina in the mirror, laughing right in the face of Snow White.

"I just had to stop you." Regina said. "I have no interest in cleaning tongue marks off my mirror." The Doctor stepped up to the mirror, glaring at the image of Regina, who was just smirking back at him. "So _you're_ the infamous Doctor. Doctor _who_, if I may ask?"

"You may…but first you'll have to let Prince James go." The Doctor requested.

Regina grinned. "I intend to, Doctor. In fact, I'm issuing a parlay…just for _you_ and that little troublemaker accompanying you."

The one bit of detail from the Evil Queen's offer made the Doctor very curious. "Just for me? Why just for me? I serve no importance in this matter."

"Oh, but you _do_, Doctor." Regina contradicted. "You are the living legend of all lands. I wouldn't want to pass an opportunity in meeting the man everyone's talking about. Come unarmed…_both_ of you."

"Where do we meet?" The Doctor cautiously inquired.

"Where it all began between Snow and me." Regina answered. "She knows the place I'm referring to. Meet me there and we'll discuss a truce."

The image of Queen Regina vanished from the mirror in a puff of dark purple smoke, leaving nothing but the reflections of the Doctor and Snow themselves. The Doctor turned away from the mirror and moved out of the cell while muttering to himself, "It's all changed. The story's now been changed. I've changed everything that's happened in the book."

Snow could hear the Doctor's mutterings and grew even more concerned. "Doctor, what's wrong? Is it a trap? Does she _really_ intend on bringing peace between…?"

"Snow, listen to me." The Doctor hastily demanded. "When we go to see the Queen, she's going to force you into sacrificing yourself by giving you an apple. That apple is poisonous, but it won't kill you. The only way to save Prince James is to _eat_ that poison apple. Do you understand?"

Snow White blinked rapidly in confusion. "W-What? Why would she do a thing like that?"

"Because you never kept your promise about Daniel."

Snow's eyes grew wide. "Daniel?"

"The day you told Regina's mother about her love for Daniel, she had him killed in the stable…right in front of her. Ever since that day and the one where she discovered you let out her secret, she's been vengeful against you and everyone you cared about, including Prince Charming."

Tears fell from Snow's eyes as shock and realization shadowed her face. "How do you know all of this?"

"It doesn't matter. I've said too much already." The Doctor sighed, turning away from Snow and looking to the ground. "I've always said that time could be rewritten, but this is one story that – under _no_ circumstances – can't be." He made his way out of the dungeon, failing to take notice of the suspicious way in which Snow was looking at him.

* * *

><p>The event played out just the way the Doctor read it from Henry's storybook, only with the Doctor himself involved; he and Snow went alone to the stable to meet Regina, who afterward took the two into the field to see Daniel's grave. Following the Doctor's instruction, Snow pretended not to have known about the grave or Daniel's death; but the tears falling from her eyes could not hide the truth of her knowing already.<p>

"I'm sorry," she told Regina.

"I'm sorry, too," Regina stated, although it was not in the same sincerity as Snow's apology was. "But nothing can change what happened…what _you_ did. You promised to keep my secret. You promised and you lied!"

Snow did her best to rectify the situation. "You must understand that I was very young, and your mother…"

Watching the two women go back and forth and arguing like little children made the Doctor's presence there only feel more awkward; he still could not understand Regina's true intentions for bringing him there. Was it just to see her belittle Snow for something that happened ages ago? The moment finally arrived when Regina reached into a small bag that she brought with her and revealed the poison apple – the very one that the Doctor warned Snow about. Seeing the apple, Snow glanced to the Doctor nervously; the frightened look on her face told the Doctor how much of a bad idea it was to alert her of it, and he was beginning to regret his actions.

"Did you know that apples stand for health and wisdom?" Regina's brief lecture only made the moment more unbearable for Snow.

It was then that the tears stopped and Snow began to face the situation with a sense of bravery, refusing to take part in the charade that the Doctor requested any longer. "Let's just get this over with, Regina. I know what you plan on doing to me…the Doctor told me so." Hearing this brought out a good deal of anger from the Evil Queen as her glare switched from Snow to the Doctor, who was just as surprised as she was to hear Snow let out _another_ important secret. "I know that apple is the only way to save the Prince…but I _won't_ take it."

Regina looked back to Snow and smiled. "The Doctor really has gotten to you, hasn't he? I guess that's why incentive must be given." Dropping the bag she held in her other hand, Regina raised that hand in the air and loudly snapped her fingers.

The snap was a signal for a pair of cloaked Cybermen to appear at both sides of the Doctor. Not anticipating this turn of events, the Doctor was caught off guard, which was the right time for them to restrain him. The Doctor struggled to get free from the powerful grasp of the Cybermen while Snow attempted to rush to his hand; unfortunately, she was prevented from doing anything by Regina, who snatched her arm and kept her near her.

"They will _kill_ him, if you take another step closer." Regina cautioned. "Now you have _three_ choices – you can accept the apple and save _both_ your Prince and your Doctor, you can refuse again and risk killing them both, or you can refuse and I send every single one of these metal men to kill everyone and every_thing_ you've ever cared about – the Doctor, your Prince, your friends…I destroy it all!"

Snow kept her focus on the Doctor during Regina's threat, her tears commencing in streaming down her cheeks. The Doctor beseechingly beckoned to her, "Do what she asks, Snow. Everything will be alright."

Slowly, Snow looked back to Regina, who once again held the apple in front of her. "I take that apple…and everyone lives? That's the deal you want to make?"

"With all my heart." Regina sneered.

Tearfully, Snow took the apple from Regina's hands, but it was not in silence. "Then congratulations…you've won." With that said, Snow willingly took a bite out of the poison apple, much to the delight of Regina. The Doctor watched helplessly as Snow allowed the poison to take effect, grunting as it tore her apart from the inside to the out until she finally collapsed to the grass, letting the apple roll out of her hand and out of sight.

After witnessing her sacrifice, the Doctor looked to Regina. "There…you've gotten what you want! Now let the Prince go, just like we agreed!"

"He'll be set free, Doctor." Regina assured while approaching him. "But before I go my merry way, there's just one more transaction I wish to make."

Before the Doctor could have anticipated it, Regina grabbed him by the chin and locked her mouth over his, giving what appeared to be a kiss. Of course, from the sudden strain that went over the Doctor's body, he knew this was not an ordinary kiss Regina was giving him. The Doctor could feel bits of energy being siphoned, sucking him up like a sponge to water. Another second of it and he would have been dead; fortunately, Regina released her hold, moving her mouth away from his. The Doctor fell into unconsciousness, his body going limp under the heavy restraint of the Cybermen.

The transference had taken quite a toll on Regina as her eyes glowed in a golden hue and even hints of it trickled from her mouth when she tried to catch her breath. Regina fell to her knees, clutching her sides and fighting to maintain control of the remarkable power that she extracted from the Doctor. It made her hands and face glow, showing signs of taking over for a brief moment. Once she felt herself regaining some sort of composure, her body ceased glowing; she got back to her feet and ordered the Cybermen, "Let him go. I've got what I needed from him."

The Cybermen followed their orders and released the unconscious Doctor, who fell right beside where Snow had collapsed. The two were left where they were when Regina and her Cyberman cohorts departed from the field. It would be only an hour and a half later when Red, Granny, and the dwarves would come to find them – Snow, who _appeared_ to have been dead, and the Doctor, who had fallen into a coma.


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Doctor Alder Dorm**

Following the directions given to them by the nurse at the front desk, Amy and Rory went to find Captain Jack Harkness in the Storybrooke Hospital. But when the couple arrived in the room where Harkness supposedly was, all they found was an empty, unkempt bed. Upon seeing the empty bed, Rory and Amy frowned in confusion, wondering how a man could just up and leave without an entire hospital knowing that he was gone. Their curiosity was soon cut short by the sudden voice that spoke from behind them and said: "He left just an hour before you arrived, I'm afraid."

Turning to face the speaker, Amy and Rory were met with even more surprise at the face of the doctor who just entered. To the hospital staff and everyone in town who ever stopped by the hospital, this particular doctor was known as "Alder Dorm," but for Rory and Amy, he was the troublesome Dream Lord. Admired by the looks on their faces, Dorm grinned and asked rhetorically, "Surprised to see me?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Amy demanded to know.

"Same reason you both are – because of the Doctor." Dorm answered with sincerity.

"But you're supposed to _be_ the Doctor, or a physical manifestation of his subconscious in dream form." Rory indicated. "Or are we dreaming right now as we speak?"

Dorm groaned. "Oh, Rory…it's not so difficult to figure out. You're in a town where anything and everything can and will happen. I'm here in the flesh, and it's _actually_ happening."

"But _how_ is it possible?" Amy asked.

"Regina…or the 'Evil Queen,' as I'm sure Henry has told you by now…extracted me from the Doctor in the fairy tale world. All it took was a simple 'kiss' between her and the Doctor, sucking enough energy from his body to take away a fraction of his mind. All of the Time Lord that was once in him had been transformed…into me."

Rory started to understand, and he quickly deduced, "So you're like a living avatar of the Doctor's real identity?"

Dorm smiled, albeit mockingly. "Well done, Rory. You _have_ made use of that brain of yours through hundreds of years as a plastic."

While Rory did his best to refrain from punching Dorm, Amy directed her attention to Harkness' empty bed. "Where's Jack Harkness?"

"Judging from your tone, I take it that you think I had something to do with Captain Harkness' disappearance." Dorm then added in a somber tone, "The truth is that I didn't. Jack escaped by his own ingenuity. I'd hoped to keep him here long enough to keep him from stopping what will happen to this town."

"What do you mean? What is going to happen to it?" Rory queried.

Dorm paused for a minute before he answered, "The Queen's curse is going to break soon. The boy, Henry, is getting closer to convincing the savior that the curse is real, bringing her into believing this is all true."

"But that's what we _want_ to happen." Amy stated. "Breaking the curse means that we get the Doctor back in our good graces – you're only preventing that from happening because you…"

"Because when the curse is broken, I will cease to exist, hence the Doctor will cease to exist, Amy!" Dorm aggressively specified. "Her curse keeps any _alien_ activity from taking place in this 'new kingdom' of hers. She knew what the Doctor was capable of doing – how he could disrupt her intentions of ruining the lives of Snow White and Prince Charming – so she took away his greatest weapon: his mind."

"So the Doctor hadn't been _completely_ taken in by the curse?" Rory inquired. "There's still a possibility in getting him back, even without breaking it?"

Dejectedly, Dorm affirmed, "Yes, there is."

Seeing how much he disapproved of the notion, Amy grew furious. "And you don't want that, do you? You know that without the Doctor, you have a shot at livin' your own 'real' life. Well, I've got news for ya, Dream Lord – say if the curse breaks today or tomorrow, there won't _be_ a real life for you. You'll just be nothing – a passing thought in the minds of the very few people who even know you exist. Yeah, the Doctor will be gone, too; but he'll still be alive as John Smith, a schoolteacher who knows what it means to be human…and in love."

The Dream Lord glared at Amy, knowing how right she was. "For twenty-eight timeless years I've gotten used to the idea of really living, knowing what it's like to _feel_. Every second, if there ever was such a thing in this town, I had to watch 'John Smith' do all the things I'd ever wanted – _including_ falling in love. I suppose that was _my_ curse…living."

For the first time since she had known of him, Amy began to sympathize for him; he was finally able to understand what it meant to have something close to a life of humanity. "Help us get the Doctor back, and you'll no longer have to be cursed."

"I'll always be cursed, Amy. Whether I live as 'Alder Dorm' or in the Doctor's mind, I'll always be cursed." Dorm sighed and then declared, "I'll help you get him back, but the only way it can be done is if he's _willing_ to be the man he once was."

Amy cunningly grinned. "_That_ won't be a problem."


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Doctor…Who?**

Red watched the unconscious Doctor every second he laid in her bed. The man she once despised had become the one she hoped to recover soon. Both the Doctor and Snow White both sacrificed themselves for Snow's Prince, leading one of them into death. With Snow gone, Red only had one other _real_ friend left and that was the Doctor. Even though he had lied to her about the werewolf abilities she possessed, there was a part of her that still cared about him, especially after all the stories she heard of him helping others across the land from Geppetto and his wooden son Pinocchio to Cinderella. With such heroic deeds, Red even learned to love the Doctor a little.

"He was a fool."

She heard her grandmother stand at the doorway, looking on at the unconscious Doctor disapprovingly. "Both him and that Snow White – falling right into the Queen's trap."

"They knew the risks." Red countered. "It was either do as the Queen wished or let the Prince die. Snow wouldn't have allowed the Prince to die, neither would the Doctor."

"And look where it got them – Snow's dead and the Doctor halfway there himself. That's what love does, girl. It only gets you into trouble or worse."

Red ignored her grandmother's foolish allegation and kept her focus solely on the Doctor. There was soon a knock on the door that almost broke her focus. Widow Lucas went to the door and opened it; rushing right inside was an uncharacteristically overenthusiastic Grumpy. "He did it! The Prince _actually_ did it!" Grumpy cheered, much to the surprise of Red and her grandmother.

Red turned away from the Doctor and asked the dwarf, "What did he do?"

"He brought Snow White back to life!" Grumpy exclaimed. "You both should've seen it! He kissed her and there was this strong gust of wind that blew right through the forest and the rest of the land! It was incredible magic!"

From the description Grumpy had given of the event, Red grew hopeful for the Doctor. She gazed back to his unconscious form and pondered for a minute. Red then leaned in closer to the Doctor's face and shut her eyes. Grumpy and Granny both watched curiously over what Red was doing, and they both were surprised to see her give a kiss right on the Doctor's lips. After the kiss was given, Red drew back and waited for something to happen; at first nothing did, but then the Doctor slowly opened his mouth, letting residual golden energy to escape from it. Watching the energy float and disperse into the air made Red, Granny, and Grumpy wondered if Red's kiss had possibly broken whatever spell the Queen put on the Doctor.

Suddenly, the eyes of the Doctor gradually opened; he blinked and squinted a few times to clear his vision before he finally was able to see the three characters standing near him. He then sat up in the bed and rubbed the back of his head, evidently suffering from a slight headache. Red, Granny, and Grumpy all smiled in relief. "You're going to be fine, Doctor," Red calmly assured him. "We're so thankful to have you back."

The Doctor looked to Red in confusion. "What did you call me?"

Red frowned. "Doctor…that's your name."

Granny and Grumpy's smiles vanished as they observed the Doctor's puzzling reactions to how Red was addressing him. "I…I don't remember ever being called…Doctor." Red's frown grew into a look of fright. "I don't know _who_ I am…or who any of _you_ are."

It was clear to Red, Granny, and Grumpy that whatever the Evil Queen had done to the Doctor had an extreme effect on him mentally. Red saw how scared the Doctor appeared as he looked around his current whereabouts. She reached for his hand and grabbed it tight, bringing his focus back on her. Mustering up whatever confidence she could, Red smiled and told him, "It'll be okay. We'll take care of you."

"You'll take care of me?" He said with a nervous chuckle. "You don't even know my _real_ name."

Red knew there had to be some way of earning the trust of this poor lost soul, so she picked up on a nasty habit the Doctor had – lying. "John…your name is John."

"John." He considered the name and smiled. "I…I like it."

She returned his smile, although there was a trace of uncertainty beyond it. The once-remarkable and brilliant being known as the Doctor had psychologically transformed into a different man, and Red was not certain yet if she would enjoy having "John" around in his place. Regardless, he was still the man that she grew to love and hoped that, with this new persona, she would _truly_ love him.


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Mister John Smith**

Smith entered Mr. Gold's shop with a huge smile; the smile was there with him because he planned on buying the engagement ring to propose to Ruby with. Tomorrow would be the day that he would finally do it – right in front of everyone in the diner like Sean Herman did with Ashley Boyd that eventual Valentine's Day. As many times as Smith had been to Mr. Gold's, he had seen many gorgeous rings there; out of all of them, there was one that caught his eye the most – a gold ring with an emerald gem that _literally_ glowed. Smith did not care how much he had to spend for the ring, as long as it would make Ruby's heart soar when he proposed.

It was late in the evening when he showed up; he knew that Mr. Gold closed at random times (sometimes before sundown and sometimes after), so he hoped that he was not _too_ late. However, when he stepped in, he did not see Mr. Gold, but Alder Dorm instead, standing beside the counter. "Oh," he sheepishly muttered, "'ello, Dr. Dorm. I was, uh, expecting to see Mr. Gold here."

"Apparently, he had to leave for the evening." Dorm informed. "One would think that a shop owner would leave a note or put up the 'Closed' sign before having to leave his post."

Smith chuckled, hiding his disappointment. "Well, I'm sure he had his reasons. I'll just come back in the morning." He turned back to the door, but he was suddenly stopped by Dorm's next words, which were spoken coldly…

"What's your hurry, _Doctor_?"

Smith's hand stopped and hovered over the doorknob. Slowly he turned and faced Dorm again, seeing the smug expression on the little man's face. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, stop denying it. The charade is over, Doctor. It's time for you to embrace who you _really_ are and do what you came to this abysmal town to do."

Smith stared upon Dorm with a grimace, shaking his head and snickering. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but…who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that? Has Henry gone to you, too? Has he gone to _every_ person with an accent and said that _I_ was this Doctor character of his?"

"He's not a character. He's as real as you are…consequently he _is_ you."

"I'm not listening to this rubbish anymore. I have a lovely woman to propose to in the morning, so…"

"Amelia Pond." The name that Dorm had said silenced Smith and kept him inside the shop much longer. "The young redhead you've been having dreams of – c'mon, Doctor! Even as 'John Smith,' your feeble mind can grasp the idea of fate. What were the chances of a young redhead named Amy to appear to you in the flesh sometime after you dreamt of her?"

For the first time in the conversation between them, Smith was at a loss for words. His eyes darted about the shop in great anxiety until they finally connected with one disheartening sight – the blue police box that stood just beside him. Gazing up and down at the box, Smith discovered it to have been the same one that the madman named Jefferson had in his home. In a soft voice, Smith asked, "Where did Mr. Gold get this?"

"Let's just say he and Jefferson have one _huge_ thing in common – you."

Smith angrily looked away from the police box and centered on Dorm. "I am _not_ this bloody Doctor everyone says that I am!"

"We both know that's a bold-faced lie. Ever since you read about him, you've always wanted to _be_ him. You've always wanted the stories to be true, so you could travel across the stars and through time – to do the things that you could never possibly do in the pathetic form you're in now."

Dorm's insults clearly were not encouraging Smith to believe him. "You show me an ounce of proof to show that everything – this whole 'posh' life of the Doctor's – is true, and I'll accept that I _am_ him." Smith knew that this request was impossible for Dorm to carry out. Many had tried before – including Henry – but have failed to provide concrete evidence to show that he was _really_ the Doctor.

Of course, Dorm seemed to have anticipated Smith's request from the smile he gave him once he made it. Reaching into the right side pocket of his jacket, Dorm retrieved a peculiar key that he went over to the police box with. Smith frowned with curiosity as he watched Dorm use the key to open the doors of the police box. At first Smith knew that Dorm had failed in his attempt of getting Smith to believe, because Smith had seen the inside of the box before, and it looked as ordinary as it did on the outside. But then something happened…something completely different from before…

After Dorm opened the doors to the police box, Smith saw a room beyond them that looked entirely bright…and alien. It was bigger than the outside of the box, which was hardest part for Smith to believe as he walked towards it. Dorm watched him as he was drawn to the majestic sight, seeing the look of astonishment on the so-called schoolteacher's face. The key to the TARDIS was exactly that – the key to getting Smith in believing that he was the Doctor; and it was all thanks to Amy, who was the one that loaned it to him. Of course, that was _all_ she needed to help the self-proclaimed Dream Lord do; the rest he pretty much had covered.

As soon as Smith was completely inside the TARDIS, the Dream Lord stepped in himself, sealing the door shut behind him. Within moments, the TARDIS dematerialized, making the otherworldly sounds it normally made as it began its departure from the space it occupied. The noise did not fall on deaf ears as Amy and Rory heard it from the back of Mr. Gold's store, hiding there until the Dream Lord called for them. As expected, the Dream Lord held back on his promise, and Amy and Rory were left watching the TARDIS disappear completely.

Rory clearly was displeased with the Dream Lord's betrayal. "Well, that's just marvelous!"

"Oh, stop whinin'." Amy said. "The idea was to get the Doctor back."

"Yeah, but he has to stop the curse also, and the Dream Lord just took away the one last hope everyone in this town has!" Rory reminded her, and she obviously had forgotten this fact from the disgruntled look she had after hearing Rory. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"You go back home."

Amy and Rory's heads rapidly turned toward the shop entrance; standing there was River Song, dressed conservatively with high heels and eyeglasses, her hair tied into a bun. She smiled to her shocked parents and softly said, "Hello, Mum and Dad."

"River?" Amy said. "Have you been here in Storybrooke this whole time?"

River nodded. "Yes…just like everyone else here, I waited for the time to come when things changed…when the Doctor would finally remember and start saving everyone like he always does." She then revealed an object that she had been hiding behind her back, holding it in the same hand she wore her vortex manipulator on. "He came to the Storybrooke Library, where I've been keeping cover as a librarian, and asked for this – a book by Verity Newman."

"A Journal of Impossible Things." Rory said the title aloud without even looking at the cover first. "Yeah, Henry and the Dream Lord told us that's the book he had been reading."

"And he's been reading it for twenty-eight years – the only book he had ever read during his time as John Smith." River revealed. "The Dream Lord was right. He's wanted to be the Doctor his whole life as 'John Smith.' All he needed was the push, and he got it just now."

Amy smiled. "So…he'll be coming back…to Storybrooke?"

"The Doctor _never_ leaves unfinished business behind, Amy. We both know that." River answered. "But we also know that there's one vital piece of business he has to take care of before he comes back."

Amy lost her smile as she realized what River meant. "He has to die…and keep himself hidden."

"And neither of you can be here when we comes back to Storybrooke." River advised.

"Why's that? Is it one of those timeline things?" Rory questioned. "We can't see the Doctor again before a specified point in time?"

River grinned. "He always has a plan mapped out for these things."

"Spoilers." Amy whispered and River looked to her in delight as she fully understood the purpose.

Setting the Verity Newman book down on the counter near her, River fiddled with the vortex manipulator on her wrist and beckoned for Amy and Rory to come near her. They had done so and, knowing what she was about to do, locked their arms around with hers. Before she pressed the button that activated the sequence, Rory stopped her upon realizing something. "Uh, wait. W-We left behind some luggage back at Granny's. Could we…?"

"Oh, shut up, stupid." Amy jested.

"Right." Rory acknowledged.

After the brief moment of bickering between her parents, River smiled and let her vortex manipulator teleport the three of them out of Mr. Gold's shop…and away from Storybrooke.


	39. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The Beginning of a New World**

The next morning in the forest, Mr. Gold led the young brunette that he knew as Belle up a hill, his cane creating a soft thud with each step he took over the ground. He could not get over the fact that Regina lied about Belle and how she killed herself. Revenge was certainly the answer for such betrayal and where he and Belle headed would bring it about just the way he wanted. Halfway near their destination, he heard Belle say to him from behind, "Wait."

Even the gentleness in her voice as she made her request could not stop him at the fierce pace he was moving. "No, no, we're very close."

But what she said next stopped him dead in his tracks: "Rumplestiltskin, wait." Belle had addressed him by his _real_ name – the name he carried from the other world. It only meant one thing, and Belle confirmed it as she told him, "I…I remember. I…I love you." She then embraced him warmly, and he returned the embrace with great joy. The curse had been lifted; but, unfortunately, it was not enough for him.

"And I love you, too." He told Belle. "But, hey, there'll be time for that."

"Yeah. There'll be _plenty_ of time for a lot of things."

The voice spoke loud and clear, echoing throughout half of the forest. Rumplestiltskin and Belle looked to the speaker and found Jack Harkness standing beside the very well that Rumplestiltskin was taking Belle to. "Who is that man?" she asked her love.

"A friend." Rumplestiltskin answered before he and Belle moved closer to Jack and the well. They saw how the left side of Jack's shirt was bloodied from where he was shot, but Jack appeared to be in no pain whatsoever. "Mr. Harkness, you appear to have recovered well from your wounds."

Jack grinned. "Apparently I have." He then gestured to Belle and asked, "Who's the girl?"

Rumplestiltskin took Belle by the hand. "Her name is Belle."

"Ah, I see…from _Beauty and the Beast_, right?" Harkness chuckled. "So the curse _is_ real, and it's been broken now."

"How did you get out all this way from the hospital, Mr. Harkness?" Rumplestiltskin questioned – almost suspiciously.

In answering him, Jack lifted the wrist that he wore his unique device on and pointed to it. "Vortex manipulator. Years from now, this baby will be the way of the future…_and_ the past and the present. Of course, mine was deactivated, but it was reactivated when I woke up pain-free from the hospital. There's only one man I know who has the ability to reactivate a vortex manipulator…"

"The Doctor." Rumplestiltskin uttered the name to the surprise of Jack. "Yes, I know of him, and it's not from any stories I've read or heard. I've _met_ him and seen what he's capable of doing. I've wanted that 'ability' of his, Mr. Harkness; but, like yourself, I haven't been fortunate enough to keep track of him…until he came to Storybrooke."

"You've seen him in Storybrooke?" Jack asked, still taken aback by this information.

"I certainly have, Mr. Harkness." Rumplestiltskin confirmed. "And if he's still there as we speak, I know he _certainly_ won't want to miss what's in store next." He then reached into his jacket, a gesture that alarmed Jack to the point where he removed his revolver from his holster and aimed it at Rumplestiltskin, who froze and said, "At east, Captain. It's not a weapon." He then revealed the item he was retrieving: a small vial filled with _glowing_ light purple liquid.

Rumplestiltskin brought the bottle over to the well near Jack; noticing it for the first time, Belle had asked him, "What's this?"

"This is a very special place, Belle." Rumplestiltskin pointed to the well with his cane and indicated its function. "The waters that run below are said to have the power to return that which one has lost." He then commenced in stepping up to the well and dropping the entire vial into it.

Jack and Belle watched him as he had performed the action and waited along with him in anticipation for something to happen. Soon there was a whooshing sound and a gust of wind blew out from the well and past Jack, Belle, and Rumplestiltskin. They then stepped away from it as a pinkish purple mist seeped out from the well and billowed across the entire forest, brushing across the feet of the three people that stand over it.

"What the hell have you done?" Jack asked Rumplestiltskin.

"We're in a land without magic, Captain Harkness…I'm bringing it back." Rumplestiltskin said. "Magic is coming!"

Belle was confused over his reasoning for this plot. "Why?"

"Because magic is power!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed.

The look of greed that overwhelmed the face of Rumplestiltskin made Jack believe that his intentions for bringing back "magic" to Storybrooke were anything but good. Belle even looked terrified herself, which was enough proof of how wicked this plot was to Jack. But there was nothing the immortal captain could have done about it with just a revolver and a vortex manipulator. As he watched the mist billow its way towards the town of Storybrooke, Jack Harkness hoped that the Doctor was still there, because _he_ was the only one who could do anything about it.

Unfortunately, the Doctor is _not_ in right now.

**END OF BOOK ONE**


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